Overview of the VAMP Program

In June 2025, Tabapay published a blog outlining Visa’s Acquirer Monitoring Program (VAMP) and providing recommendations for our clients.

VAMP monitors merchant disputes and fraud incidents and assigns penalties if merchants go over a certain incident threshold, they will be financially penalized. Any merchant with at least 1,500 monthly fraud and dispute incidents, or 300,000 monthly enumeration attacks, is a candidate for VAMP. The metric used to measure determine qualification is the VAMP ratio:

VAMP Ratio = Count of [Fraud (TC40) + Fraud & Non-Fraud Disputes (TC15)] ÷ Count of Settled Transactions (TC05) A separate VAMP Ratio is calculated for enumerated transactions:
VAMP Ratio (for Enumeration) = Count of Enumerated Transactions ÷ Total Count of Transactions

The program works to improve risk monitoring and performance metrics, with the aim of reducing cost and friction across the payments ecosystem.

VAMP Timeline

Date	Details
October 1, 2025	Excessive Enforcement Advisory period ends. If either VAMP ratio is equal to or greater than 220 bps (2.2%), the merchant is categorized as “Excessive.” Merchants who qualify as “Excessive” are charged $8 per disputed CNP transaction (effective October 1, 2025).
January 1, 2026	Above Standard Enforcement Visa implements “Above Standard” enforcement which includes stricter performance thresholds for acquirers and merchants. “Above Standard” indicates a significant increase in fraud, dispute, or enumeration activity over the market standard performance. Under the updated program, acquirers whose portfolios exceed these limits may incur enforcement fees from Visa on a per-dispute or per-fraud-incident basis. These fees are charged to the acquirer and may be passed through to clients (merchants) whose activity contributed to the elevated ratios.
April 1, 2026	Excessive Enforcement – Threshold Reduction The threshold for either VAMP ratio to qualify as “Excessive” is reduced to 150 bps (1.5%).

Date

Details

October 1, 2025

Excessive Enforcement
Advisory period ends. If either VAMP ratio is equal to or greater than 220 bps (2.2%), the merchant is categorized as “Excessive.”

Merchants who qualify as “Excessive” are charged $8 per disputed CNP transaction (effective October 1, 2025).

January 1, 2026

Above Standard Enforcement
Visa implements “Above Standard” enforcement which includes stricter performance thresholds for acquirers and merchants. “Above Standard” indicates a significant increase in fraud, dispute, or enumeration activity over the market standard performance.

Under the updated program, acquirers whose portfolios exceed these limits may incur enforcement fees from Visa on a per-dispute or per-fraud-incident basis.

These fees are charged to the acquirer and may be passed through to clients (merchants) whose activity contributed to the elevated ratios.

April 1, 2026

Excessive Enforcement – Threshold Reduction

The threshold for either VAMP ratio to qualify as “Excessive” is reduced to 150 bps (1.5%).