Visa · VAMP
Below thresholdVAMP ratio0.71%
0%Visa threshold 1.5%
- Month-end pace—
- More fraud reports or disputes before 1.5%—
- Counts toward Visa’s 1,500 minimum—
Free tool
Chargeback ratio and VAMP calculator
See where your Visa and Mastercard ratios stand against each card brand’s threshold, and how many more disputes this month can take before you cross it.
Filled in with example figures. Replace them with your own; nothing you type leaves this page.
Mastercard
Below thresholdChargeback ratio0.81%
0%Marks at 1%, 1.5%, 3%
- Chargeback Monitored Merchant · 1% and 100+ chargebacks—
- Excessive Chargeback Merchant · 1.5% and 100+ chargebacks—
- High Excessive Chargeback Merchant · 3% and 300+ chargebacks—
Thresholds as of October 2026. Card brands change them, and your acquirer usually acts before them. General information, not advice: your acquirer’s figures are the ones that apply to your account.
How Visa counts it
Fraud reports plus disputes this month, divided by settled Visa transactions this month. Visa’s merchant level applies at 1.5% once you have at least 1,500 of them combined. Your acquirer watches lower numbers than that.
How Mastercard counts it
Chargebacks this month, divided by Mastercard transactions last month. Three levels, each with a minimum count: 1% (100+), 1.5% (100+), 3% (300+).
If you’re close
Dispute alerts, Visa RDR, quick refunds, a recognizable descriptor and 3-D Secure on risky orders. How chargeback prevention works.
FAQ
Chargeback ratio questions
What is the VAMP ratio?
Visa adds your fraud reports (TC40) and disputes (TC15) for the month and divides by your settled Visa transactions. At or above 1.5%, with at least 1,500 fraud reports and disputes combined, a US merchant is in Visa’s “excessive” level.
Why does my acquirer warn me below the card-brand threshold?
Visa also measures your acquirer’s whole portfolio, so acquirers set their own, lower limits for individual merchants and act on them first. Treat the card-brand threshold as the ceiling, not the target.
How is the Mastercard ratio different?
Mastercard divides this month’s chargebacks by last month’s Mastercard transactions. It has three levels, each with a minimum chargeback count, and the higher levels bring larger fines.
Do disputes resolved through RDR count?
Visa’s Rapid Dispute Resolution settles qualifying disputes with a refund before they become a dispute on your record, which is why RDR is one of the fastest ways to bring a VAMP ratio down. Ask us to check your coverage.
What should I do if I’m close?
Turn on dispute alerts (Ethoca, CDRN) and Visa RDR, refund quickly when customers ask, make your billing descriptor recognizable, and use 3-D Secure on risky orders. Then watch the ratio daily. That’s what our consulting after approval does for you.
We watch this every day, so you don’t have to
Our consulting after approval tracks your ratios by card brand daily, forecasts where the month will end, and calls you before a threshold, not after a warning letter.