Altering card-issuer interchange categories

One or more computer-readable media having computer-readable instructions therein that, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform acts comprising:

• receiving interchange categories currently being assigned by card issuers, pricing for each interchange category, and parameters used to determine which transactions should be assigned which interchange category, the parameters including one or more of:
• a merchant's area of business;
• information received for a transaction;
• or how information is received for the transaction;
• determining, for interchange categories having or allowing a particular merchant's area of business and based on the pricing of these interchange categories, higher-cost interchange categories capable of being replaced by lower-cost interchange categories;
• determining one or more changes in information that is provided by the particular merchant to determine one or more of the parameters or the how the information is received needed to cause each of the lower-cost interchange categories to be assigned instead of each of the higher-cost interchange categories;
• and
• providing the one or more changes in information to a merchant having the particular merchant's area of business effective to enable the merchant to lower its interchange category fees if the merchant makes one or more of the changes in information provided to determine one or more of the parameters to future transactions that would be assigned one of the higher-cost interchange categories were the one or more of the changes in information not made.

One or more computer-readable media having computer-readable instructions therein that, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform acts comprising:

• receiving, for a particular business area, a change in information used to determine a parameter capable of replacing a higher-cost interchange category with a lower-cost interchange category;
• receiving credit-card transaction data for a merchant having the particular business area, the credit-card transaction data indicating that transactions for the merchant are assigned the higher-cost interchange category;
• determining a potential fee savings if the lower-cost interchange category were assigned to the transactions instead of the higher-cost interchange category;
• and
• providing the change in information used to determine the parameter and the potential fee savings to the merchant.