The Visa Acquirer Monitoring Program (VAMP) is poised to replace the existing Visa Dispute Monitoring Program (VDMP) and Visa Fraud Monitoring Program (VFMP) on April 1. On March 11, Visa made a notable change to the program’s rules.
Fraud-related disputes resolved through Rapid Dispute Resolution (RDR) or CDRN alerts will no longer be excluded from the VAMP ratio calculation.
This adjustment has important implications for merchants, particularly those who rely heavily on RDR to manage disputes. In this article, we’ll explain the rule change, then discuss the full details of the VAMP program and how it may affect merchants.
At the most basic level, the new VAMP ratio looks at all card-not-present transactions and makes the following calculation:
(Reported fraudulent transactions from TC40 data + Non-fraud disputes) ÷ Total settled transactions
Visa originally announced that disputes resolved through certain Visa-approved methods would be excluded from this calculation, regardless of whether the dispute was fraud-related. These methods include Rapid Dispute Resolution (RDR), Order Insight, Compelling Evidence 3.0, and alerts from Verifi CDRN.
According to an update from Visa on March 11, using RDR or CDRN to resolve a fraud-related dispute will no longer exclude that transaction from the VAMP ratio calculation. Non-fraud disputes resolved through these methods will still be excluded.
For merchants who make significant use of RDR and CDRN, this change will lead to higher VAMP ratios. This could result in enforcement actions including fines and fees. For acquirers, who were already scrambling to put the new program in place by the April 1 launch date, this change further complicates the process, requiring them to update how they track and calculate each merchant’s ratio.
This is also true for some Fintech companies. Chargeback Gurus (CBG) helps merchants track dispute ratios for each MID and provides customized notifications when a ratio nears a pre-defined threshold. Preparations had already been made to track VAMP ratios, but the last-minute change in the calculation method will require additional updates to the CBG platform. Nevertheless, CBG is still on track to have VAMP ratio monitoring and notifications in place before the April 1 launch.
The new Visa Acquirer Monitoring Program (VAMP) represents a consolidation of Visa’s existing monitoring programs, VDMP and VFMP, into a single, unified framework. This new program aims to simplify monitoring while providing a more comprehensive view of fraud and chargeback activity. As discussed in the previous section, the centerpiece of the program is a new metric called VAMP ratio.
The program establishes two sets of VAMP ratio thresholds for acquirers and merchants: an initial set effective at launch and a stricter set beginning January 1, 2026. The thresholds are as follows:
| Acquirer | Merchant | ||
| Above Standard | Excessive | Excessive | |
| Initial Threshold | N/A | 0.5% | 1.5% |
| 2026 Threshold | 0.3% | 0.5% | 0.9% |
Merchants and acquirers who exceed these thresholds may face enforcement fees. Acquirers could be charged $5 per transaction for being classified as Above Standard or $10 per transaction for being classified as Excessive. Merchants classified as Excessive may face fees of $10 per transaction.
Additionally, Visa has announced a three-month advisory period following the launch of VAMP. During this time, no penalties will be applied, but acquirers and merchants who exceed the thresholds will receive notifications labeled “Advisory,” signaling the need for corrective action.
In addition to VAMP ratio, the program also introduces a separate ratio for enumerated transactions, which are often associated with card testing fraud. This ratio is calculated by dividing the number of confirmed enumerated transactions by the total settled transactions.
Enumerated transactions are confirmed using Visa’s Account Attack Intelligence (VAAI) system, which Visa claims reduces false positives by 85%. Merchants with greater than 300,000 enumerated transactions who exceed an enumeration ratio of 20% may face consequences.
The potential impact of VAMP on merchants will largely depend on how acquirers adapt to the new program. With Visa reducing the dispute ratio threshold for acquirers from 1% to 0.3% by 2026, many acquirers are likely to impose stricter requirements on their merchants to ensure compliance.
For example, an acquirer might set a merchant-specific VAMP ratio threshold of 0.5% to maintain a buffer and ensure that its overall portfolio stays below Visa’s 0.3% limit. This means that even if a merchant’s ratio is well below Visa’s 0.9% threshold, they could still face acquirer-imposed penalties.
This creates a challenging environment for merchants, particularly those with higher dispute volumes or those operating in industries prone to fraud and chargebacks. The pressure to maintain low ratios will be significant, and many merchants will have to manage multiple VAMP ratio limits simultaneously for accounts with different acquirers.
With the launch of VAMP just a few weeks away, merchants should take proactive steps to prepare. Merchants should work closely with their acquirers to understand any new limits or expectations being set. Developing a joint strategy for maintaining compliance with VAMP can help ensure a smooth transition to the new framework.
Merchants will also need to review their current fraud and chargeback management processes to identify areas for improvement. This may involve adopting new tools and technologies like Order Intelligence and Smart Prevention Alerts, which can reduce a merchant’s VAMP ratio by preventing disputes or pre-empting them with refunds.
Visa’s updated VAMP program represents a major shift in how fraud and chargeback activity will be monitored and managed. The newly announced change regarding fraudulent transactions adds an additional layer of complexity for merchants. By taking proactive steps to prepare and consulting acquirers and chargeback experts, merchants can position themselves for success under VAMP.