Visa VAMP Updates 2025: What Merchants and Acquirers Need to Know

Visa’s Acquirer Monitoring Program (VAMP), also known as the Visa Vamp, is a key tool for managing fraud and disputes. In 2025, big changes are coming for merchants and acquirers. Learn what these changes are and why you need to stay informed to stay compliant and avoid penalties.

Quick Facts

• As of writing this, October 1st 2025, the the advisory period has ended and VAMP is in full effect.
• If your business has a high chargeback rate you could be at risk of fines and shutdowns - even if you were compliant before.
• Visa has rolled out a unified VAMP program on April 1, 2025, combining fraud and dispute management into one system with new thresholds and metrics.
• Merchants had to be be below 2.2% VAMP ratio and had at least 1,500 monthly transactions by April 2025 or they faced enforcement fees for non-compliance.
• Acquirers must enhance their risk controls and submit remediation plans if notified by Visa, with stricter penalties kicking in after the advisory period ended September 30, 2025.

What is Visa Acquirer Monitoring Program (VAMP)

The Visa Acquirer Monitoring Program (VAMP) is the foundation of fraud and chargeback risk management. The program helps acquirers manage risk, fraud and disputes within the Visa payment system. With a focus on identifying high-risk merchants and preventing fraud, VAMP ensures the integrity of the Visa payment system. All Visa registered acquirers and payment facilitators (PayFacs) globally are under the VAMP microscope, making it a broad program.

One of the key benefits of VAMP is the standardization of fraud thresholds for domestic and international card-not-present transactions. This standardization simplifies the compliance landscape and enhances control for acquirers and merchants. This makes fraud prevention and dispute management easier and maintains the robustness of the Visa payment ecosystem.

Visa’s tools and methods under VAMP are designed to help acquirers mitigate risks. VAMP sets high standards for fraud prevention and provides a framework for acquirers and merchants to navigate the payment landscape.

Understanding the basics of VAMP is key to adapting to the big changes in 2025.

VAMP 2025 Changes

April 1, 2025, Visa will launch a unified VAMP program combining five existing fraud and dispute management programs into one system. This big change replaces the Visa Fraud Monitoring Program and Visa Dispute Monitoring Program and simplifies compliance for merchants and acquirers. The new VAMP program will use a unified metric system with the VAMP rate and enumeration rate to enhance fraud prevention across the payment ecosystem and includes dispute monitoring programs.

The VAMP updates are a big shift towards a lifecycle risk management approach to ensure a more integrated and proactive approach to fraud prevention. Visa is committed to a secure payment environment.

The updates include the new VAMP ratio and thresholds, the enumeration ratio and enforcement timelines and grace periods.

New VAMP Ratio and Thresholds

The new VAMP ratio is a key part of the updated program and is calculated by dividing the total number of disputes by the total sales count. This ratio now includes all types of chargeback related disputes and gives a broader view of fraud and dispute activity. The VAMP ratio is based on total monthly TC40 fraud transactions plus TC15 non-fraud disputes divided by the total monthly transaction volume including fraud ratios.

From April 2025, merchants and acquirers will need to comply with the following new VAMP thresholds and requirements:

• Merchants must be below 2.2% VAMP ratio.
• Acquirers classified as ‘above standard’ must be 0.5% to 0.7% by 2026.
• The minimum monthly transaction requirement for VAMP participation will be 1,500 transactions.

These changes mean merchants need to get their chargeback rates in line with the new standards.

These changes mean merchants need to stay informed and proactive in the evolving compliance landscape. As the VAMP framework changes, merchants must adapt to stay compliant, ensure their fraud prevention measures are robust and up-to-date and ultimately improve merchant performance.

Enumeration Ratio

The introduction of the enumeration ratio is to detect and mitigate card testing fraud. The new metric is the number of confirmed enumerated transactions divided by the total number of settled transactions. Merchants will be enrolled in VAMP if more than 20% of their submitted transactions are identified as enumeration attacks including enumerated authorization transactions. Despite the small financial loss from card testing, Visa is concerned about the erosion of trust among legitimate cardholders. The enumeration ratio is to enhance the security and trust of the payment system so cardholders can transact with confidence.

Enforcement Timelines and Grace Periods

Clear VAMP enforcement timelines and grace periods are as follows:

• Enforcement starts October 1, 2025.
• No grace period.
• Merchants above VAMP thresholds will be charged enforcement fees from the 4th month of non-compliance.

But there is a 3-month grace period for first time VAMP identification so merchants can fix their compliance issues. The advisory period for the updated VAMP was from April 1 to September 30, 2025 so merchants and acquirers could adjust to the new requirements.

VAMP's Impact on merchants

Credit: Adaptiv Payments

Impact on Merchants

The VAMP updates will have big impact on merchants. With the elimination of the separate Fraud Detection Metrics Program (VDMP) and Verification Metrics Program (VFMP), all fraud and dispute management will now be under the VAMP program. This consolidation means merchants will need to manage their fraud and dispute metrics holistically.

From April 2025, merchants will need to have a minimum of 1,500 disputes for VAMP calculations, with 1,500 fraud and dispute incidents per month. This means merchants will need to continuously update their fraud prevention strategies and use tools like Smart Prevention Alerts and Order Intelligence to manage their VAMP ratios.

Unified Dispute Ratio

The unified dispute ratio is a key metric merchants need to monitor to be compliant and minimize disputes, including the overall dispute count. This ratio includes both fraud and non-fraud disputes so merchants need to have comprehensive dispute management strategies. Tools like Cardholder Dispute Resolution Network (CDRN), Rapid Dispute Resolution (RDR) and Order Insight with Compelling Evidence 3.0 can help minimize dispute exposure and chargeback management.

Strategies and considerations for chargeback management include:

• Rapid Dispute Resolution (RDR) to avoid chargebacks by managing refunds automatically so dispute ratio remains healthy.
• Review acquirer’s terms on chargeback responsibilities.
• Be transparent in chargeback management to prevent merchants from being part of the VAMP program and have healthy dispute ratio.

Exclusions from Dispute Calculations

Some disputes are excluded from VAMP calculations so merchants have some relief. Disputes excluded from the VAMP ratio are those resolved through:

• Verifi CDRN
• Visa Rapid Dispute Resolution
• Order Insight
• Compelling Evidence 3.0

But fraud related disputes resolved through RDR will not be exempt.

This exclusion means merchants should use Visa’s pre dispute tools to manage dispute counts effectively. By using these tools, merchants can control their dispute metrics and be compliant with the new VAMP thresholds.

Fees and Penalties for Non-Compliance

Non-compliance with the new VAMP thresholds will result to updated fees and penalties for merchants. The fees will be $8 per card-not-present (CNP) dispute, regardless if the dispute is fraud or non-fraud. Merchants labeled as ‘Excessive’ under VAMP will be charged $10 per transaction after the grace period.

After 3 months of grace for first time violation, fines will be applied to every dispute or TC40 received if the ratio exceeds 0.3%. These penalties emphasize the importance of being compliant to avoid financial consequences.

A graphic showing the impact of VAMP on acquirers.

Credit: Adaptiv Payments

Impact on Acquirers

The VAMP updates also impact acquirers, giving them more flexibility in managing their overall risk across their entire merchant portfolio. But stricter thresholds will be applied, acquirers need to enhance their risk control environment and submit remediation plan upon notification from Visa.

No fines will be imposed to acquirers during the advisory period for VAMP which is until September 30, 2025. But starting October 1, 2025, Visa will start charging fines to acquirers who exceed the new VAMP thresholds.

VAMP Responsibilities for Acquirers

Acquirers must ensure their merchants comply with VAMP standards and stay below the thresholds. They must enhance their risk control environment and submit a remediation plan upon notification from Visa. Acquirers who exceed the program thresholds will be scrutinized by Visa and must take corrective actions.

Also, different fee structures will apply based on the severity of an acquirer’s performance affecting their financial planning and risk strategies. Fines imposed to acquirers will encourage responsible behavior in managing fraud and disputes.

Acquirer Fee Structures

The fee structures for acquirers who are ‘Above Standard’ or ‘Excessive’ will vary based on their performance. Fees for acquirers in the VAMP program will vary at different levels with different consequences for exceeding thresholds. For acquirers who are ‘Above Standard’, the fee will be $4 for the excess, while those who are ‘Excessive’ will be charged $8.

Above-standard acquirers will be fined $5 for CNP TC40 fraud disputes and the same fine of $5 for TC15 non-fraud disputes. The new fees for acquirers will take effect on the dates stated in the schedule.

Best Practices For VAMP

Credit: Adaptiv Payments

Best Practices for Compliance

Merchants and acquirers must follow the new VAMP rules. This means they must implement best practices like regular training for staff, strong fraud prevention technology and effective communication with clients. Solution providers, fraud detection tools and real-time chargeback management are key to compliance management.

Continuous monitoring and proactive management of all transactions with proper controls and risk controls is crucial to meet the stricter thresholds and reporting standards.

Fraud Detection Tools

Fraud detection and prevention tools are essential in mitigating fraudulent transactions. Real-time fraud detection tools have features like identifying suspicious transactions and vetting purchasers to prevent fraud. Using machine learning in these tools can significantly improve the accuracy of identifying potential fraud attempts and reported fraudulent transactions. Acquirers must invest in better fraud detection tools and adjust their reporting and analysis systems to comply with the new standards.

Advanced fraud detection tools and additional resources from solution providers are necessary to help maintain chargeback ratios and efficient fraud management. By using Visa’s tools and technologies, merchants and acquirers can reduce fraud and chargeback activity while being compliant under the new VAMP program.

Real-Time Chargeback Management

Effective chargeback management is key to minimizing disputes and maintaining a healthy dispute ratio. Prevention alerts from solutions like Verifi can be set up to prevent chargebacks. The goal of real-time fraud detection tools is to stop transactions that will cause chargebacks thus reducing the overall chargeback ratio.

To manage chargebacks, merchants must implement automated systems for swift dispute resolution. These systems will streamline the process making it easier for merchants to resolve disputes quickly and efficiently thus improving their overall compliance with the new visa chargebacks standards.

Communication with Acquiring Banks

Regular communication with acquiring banks is key for merchants to be aware of any changes in chargeback management policies. Communication is vital to ensure merchants stay compliant with the evolving VAMP rules and can address any issues that arise.

Conclusion

The 2025 VAMP updates represent a big change in how fraud and dispute management is handled within the Visa payment ecosystem. By introducing new metrics, stricter thresholds and a unified compliance framework, Visa is simplifying compliance and enhancing fraud prevention. Merchants and acquirers must adapt to these changes by implementing robust fraud detection tools, real-time chargeback management systems and open communication with acquiring banks.

Stay informed and proactive is key to navigating the changing compliance landscape. By following the best practices in this blog post, merchants and acquirers can manage their risk, minimize disputes and be compliant with the new VAMP rules. Embrace the changes, invest in the necessary tools and strategies and keep your business secure and compliant in the world of payments.

FAQs

What is the purpose of the new VAMP ratio?

The new VAMP ratio is to give a holistic view of fraud and dispute activity by including all types of chargeback related disputes thus simplifying compliance and fraud prevention.

How is the enumeration ratio calculated?

The enumeration ratio is calculated by dividing the number of confirmed enumerated transactions by the total settled transactions. This ratio is used to detect and prevent card testing fraud.

What are the enforcement dates for the new VAMP rules?

The new VAMP rules will be enforced on October 1, 2025 with no grace period. Non-compliance will incur fees from the 4th month.

Which disputes are excluded from VAMP calculations?

Disputes resolved through Verifi CDRN, Visa Rapid Dispute Resolution, Order Insight and Compelling Evidence 3.0 are excluded from VAMP calculations while fraud related disputes resolved through RDR are not exempt.

What are the fees for merchants who are non-compliant with VAMP thresholds?

Merchants will be charged $8 per card-not-present dispute and if they exceed VAMP thresholds they will be charged $10 per transaction post-grace period. Compliance is key to avoid these extra costs.