Overview
Starting October 1, 2025, Visa will begin enforcing the Acquirer Monitoring Program (VAMP). This program introduces stricter fraud and dispute thresholds for merchants. Enforcement ramps up further on January 1, 2026, with even stricter thresholds.
Merchants who exceed these limits risk fines, penalties, or even termination of card acceptance. Even low-risk businesses may be affected if they lack strong fraud prevention and dispute management controls.
As a partner, you play a critical role in helping merchants stay compliant, protect revenue, and avoid costly surprises.
What is VAMP?
VAMP is Visa’s new streamlined fraud and dispute management program. According to Visa, it combines five existing programs and 38 remediation processes, most notably replacing the Visa Fraud Monitoring Program (VFMP) and Visa Dispute Monitoring Program (VDMP).
VAMP is part of Visa’s next-generation anti-fraud efforts and aims to reduce chargeback abuse, enumeration fraud and card fraud as a whole. The program also comes with a new set of rules and metrics that change the way Visa measures fraud and the thresholds merchants have to beat to avoid program enrollment and potential fines.
Why Merchants Should Care
- Financial Impact: Exceeding VAMP thresholds can trigger fines and higher processing fees.
- Business Risk: Repeated violations may result in losing the ability to accept cards.
- Competitive Pressure: Merchants with strong fraud and dispute controls will be better positioned than those who fall behind.
VAMP Thresholds & Enforcement
Visa monitors fraud and dispute activity using a VAMP Ratio.
VAMP Ratio = Count of [Fraud (TC40) + Disputes (TC15)] ÷ Count of Settled Transactions (TC05)
For the latest details on ratios, case counts, and enforcement rules, please refer directly to Visa’s guidance: Visa Acquirer Monitoring Program Overview
What Merchants Should Do Now
Understand Risk
- Ask providers how VAMP thresholds will affect them.
- VAMP ratios will vary from acquirer to acquirer.
- Know that processors often enforce stricter limits than Visa.
- Avoid assuming “under the radar” status means safety.
Strengthen Fraud Prevention
- Use tools such as 3D Secure, velocity checks, and device fingerprinting.
- Block enumeration fraud (fraudsters testing stolen cards).
- Maintain dispute and fraud ratios well below Visa’s limits.
Monitor Fraud and Disputes Proactively
- Track TC40 (fraud reports) and TC15 (disputes) monthly.
- Don’t wait for alerts—merchants should monitor ratios directly.
Tighten Internal Thresholds
- Set stricter targets than Visa’s published limits.
- Merchants who were once “borderline” may now need operational changes to remain compliant.
Use Pre-Dispute & Resolution Tools
- Tools like Rapid Dispute Resolution (RDR), Order Insight, and CDRN can prevent disputes from becoming chargebacks.
- Quick responses to dispute alerts can stop cases before they escalate.
How NMI Supports VAMP Compliance
With VAMP Protection Solutions, NMI provides partners with a complete toolkit to help merchants reduce fraud and disputes:
- 3D Secure (3DS): Authenticate cardholders and block unauthorized transactions.
- Kount Fraud Tools: AI-driven fraud detection pre- and post-transaction.
- Network Tokens: Dynamic tokens that reduce fraud exposure.
- Chargeback911: Chargeback management services to resolve disputes.
- Merchant Relationship Management (MRM) Reporting: Visibility into chargeback data for proactive monitoring.
Together, these solutions help merchants stay below Visa’s thresholds and maintain strong approval rates.
What Partners Can Do
- Educate: Share the merchant-facing VAMP guide with your clients.
- Assess: Identify high-risk merchants in your portfolio and review their ratios.
- Protect: Recommend the VAMP Protection bundle (fraud prevention + chargeback management + monitoring).
- Encourage: Remind merchants to set internal thresholds below Visa’s published limits.
- Connect: Reach out to your NMI Channel Account Manager for guidance and resources.
Chargeback Management Tools
Merchants who have signed up with Kount or Chargebacks911 for chargeback management should contact the provider’s support team for training, troubleshooting, or feature guidance. NMI’s role is to provide access to these tools within the VAMP Protection Solutions bundle, but NMI does not administer merchant accounts or provide direct support for how to use these third-party platforms.