The Visa Acquirer Monitoring Program (VAMP): What is it & How to Stay Compliant

Starting April 1, 2025, Visa implemented the Visa Acquirer Monitoring Program (VAMP) — an overhaul of its fraud and dispute monitoring systems. VAMP combines Visa's dispute and fraud monitoring programs into a single, unified framework.

What Is VAMP?

VAMP replaces the Visa Dispute Monitoring Program (VDMP) and the Visa Fraud Monitoring Program (VFMP) with a consolidated system that evaluates acquirers — and by extension, their merchants — on a combined fraud and dispute metric.

The key ratio monitored is:

VAMP Ratio = (Fraud + Disputes) / Total Transactions

The Thresholds

• Standard threshold: 0.9%
• Excessive threshold: 1.8%

Merchants or acquirers exceeding these thresholds enter a monitoring program with escalating consequences, including fines.

What This Means for Merchants

If you have elevated dispute or fraud rates, VAMP increases the urgency of addressing them. Staying below the 0.9% threshold should be an active goal — not an afterthought.

Practical Steps to Stay Compliant

1. Monitor your chargeback ratio monthly — don't wait for your processor to flag it
2. Implement 3D Secure for e-commerce transactions to shift fraud liability
3. Use AVS and CVV verification on all card-not-present transactions
4. Respond to disputes promptly with clear evidence
5. Work with a processor that provides fraud analytics — Merchant Focus includes this for all accounts

How Merchant Focus Helps

Our fraud monitoring tools give you real-time visibility into dispute and fraud trends before they become a compliance issue. If you have questions about VAMP or your current ratio, contact our team.