Chargeback ratio creeping toward the VAMP threshold?
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In April 2025, Visa consolidated its old fraud and dispute monitoring programs into a single framework: the Visa Acquirer Monitoring Program, or VAMP. On April 1, 2026, the “excessive” threshold for US merchants dropped from 2.2% to 1.5%.
If you run a credit repair company, this deserves your attention. The industries VAMP squeezes hardest are exactly the ones that look like yours: card-not-present, recurring billing, and a service where client satisfaction depends on outcomes that take months.
How the VAMP Ratio Is Calculated
VAMP ratio = (TC40 fraud reports + TC15 disputes) divided by settled transactions
Fraud reports and disputes are combined. A single transaction that generates both a fraud report (TC40) and a chargeback (TC15) can count against you twice.
It counts events, not dollars. A disputed $79 monthly charge weighs exactly as much as a disputed $7,900 transaction.
Pre-dispute resolutions can be excluded. Disputes resolved through Visa’s pre-dispute tools, like Rapid Dispute Resolution and Verifi’s alert network, may be kept out of the ratio entirely. That’s why dispute-alert tooling has gone from nice-to-have to core infrastructure.
The Thresholds as of 2026
- Excessive (merchant level): 1.5% as of April 1, 2026, down from 2.2%
- Minimum activity floor: 1,500 combined fraud and dispute events per month
- Enrolled merchants pay $8 per event while over threshold
- Acquirers face stricter math: “above standard” at 0.5% and “excessive” at 0.7% across their entire portfolio
We’re Under 1,500 Events. Can We Ignore This?
Most independent credit repair firms won’t hit 1,500 monthly dispute events. But your acquiring bank has to keep its entire portfolio under 0.5%, a bar three times stricter than yours. Acquirers impose internal thresholds on their merchants that are tighter than Visa’s published merchant line. A credit repair company running a 2% dispute ratio may never hear from Visa, and still get a reserve increase, a volume cap, or a termination letter from its own processor. In 2026, the acquirer’s spreadsheet is the one that decides your fate.
Why Credit Repair Disputes Happen and How to Prevent Them
“I didn’t get results.” Prevention starts at the sales conversation. No promised score jumps, no implied timelines you can’t keep. Continue with monthly statements itemizing work actually performed. See our CROA and TSR billing guide.
“I cancelled and got charged again.” Make cancellation genuinely easy, honored on first request, confirmed in writing, effective before the next cycle.
“I don’t recognize this charge.” Your billing descriptor should show a name the client recognizes and a phone number that reaches a human.
True fraud on enrollment. Basic velocity checks and identity verification at enrollment keep TC40s off your record.
The Merchant Guru’s Take
VAMP didn’t make credit repair unprocessable. It made sloppy operations expensive and clean operations more valuable. The businesses that treat dispute prevention as core infrastructure are finding that a good ratio is now a negotiating asset.
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