Stay compliant with the Visa Acquirer Monitoring Program and keep disputes under control
Are you compliant with Visa VAMP? The new program sets strict thresholds for fraud and disputes and transforms the way chargeback ratios are viewed, making compliance more difficult than ever before.
ChargebackStop helps you monitor your chargebacks in real time, prevent disputes proactively, and stay ahead of fraud.
Visa VAMP, explained
What is Visa VAMP?
Visa’s Acquirer Monitoring Program is a new framework for monitoring fraud and chargebacks across the payment ecosystem. Effective April 1, 2025, and enforced from October 1, 2025, it replaces VDMP and VFMP, unifying how acquirers and merchants are measured and penalized when dispute and fraud levels are too high.
Why Visa introduced VAMP
Through the introduction of a unified program, Visa aims to:
- Protect cardholders from fraud and poor practices.
- Reduce systemic risk for acquirers and payment providers.
- Keep network dispute and fraud levels within strict thresholds.
What VAMP means for you
VAMP raises the bar on how Visa measures fraud and disputes. If you fall out of line, expect closer scrutiny from acquirers, higher costs, and greater risk to your payment processing relationships. For merchants and payment facilitators, that means proactively managing disputes and fraud is no longer optional. You need systems in place to monitor activity in real-time and resolve disputes before they count.
How Visa VAMP Works
VAMP calculations
Your VAMP ratio is based on two inputs: all reported fraud activity and all non-fraud chargebacks. Visa adds these together and divides them by your total sales. Programs like Rapid Dispute Resolution (RDR) and Compelling Evidence 3.0 don’t count toward this ratio, so resolving issues early is key.
VAMP thresholds
Visa sets strict boundaries for acceptable dispute and fraud levels. Merchants (2.2%) and acquirers (0.5%-0.7%) who stay within limits keep operating as usual. Those who cross the line trigger warnings, oversight, and eventually fines. The threshold for merchants will drop to 1.5% from April 2026, so maintaining a safe buffer is essential.
VAMP’s impact
Merchants and acquirers who breach VAMP ratio thresholds will incur enforcement fees.
- Acquirer (Above Standard): $4 per transaction
- Acquirer (Excessive): $8 per transaction
- Merchants (Excessive): $8 per transaction
A three-month grace period applies for first-time offenders within a rolling 12-month period. During this time, fees will not be incurred.
However, outside the program means more than just paying penalties. It can damage your reputation with acquirers, limit your ability to process payments, and force operational changes you didn’t plan for. Staying compliant with VAMP protects revenue streams and keeps your payment partnerships intact.
Calculate your VAMP Ratio
Acquirer and Merchant Thresholds
Aside from the factors that influence your VAMP ratio, you also need to keep an eye on your enumerated transactions. This is also known as card testing fraud, and the ratio is calculated by the number of confirmed enumerated transactions divided by the total settled transactions.
Stay ahead of VAMP with ChargebackStop
ChargebackStop can help you automatically prevent chargebacks using tools like Ethoca Alerts and Verifi RDR, stopping them well before they’re reflected in your VAMP ratio. Our automated platform:
- Integrates Verifi and Ethoca alerts for instant pre-chargeback resolution.
- Automates dispute responses using best-in-class representment tools.
- Delivers a real-time dashboard that flags risks before they escalate.
Don’t wait until Visa is knocking at your door. Book a free demo with ChargebackStop and take the stress out of VAMP compliance before the penalties kick in.
ChargebackStop Toolkit
Verifi RDR - deflect TC15
Ethoca - deflect TC15 & TC40*
Real time fraud data - TC40/SAFE
Compelling Evidence
Transaction Portal
Get a demo of our comprehensive chargeback management platform.
Visa’s VAMP rules are already in effect. Don’t wait until you’re flagged, take control of fraud and dispute compliance today
