Staying Below VAMP Threshold
Visa’s Acquirer Monitoring Program (VAMP), Mastercard’s Excessive Chargeback Program (ECP), Amex’s Excessive Disputes Program — these are the card networks’ tools for forcing high-dispute-rate merchants either toward compliance or off the network. Once you’re in monitoring, getting out is a months-long process of demonstrating sustained ratio improvement. The right strategy is to stay below the thresholds in the first place. This walkthrough shows how to use TrustLens to stay below the VAMP threshold and the other networks’ lines.
Understand the Thresholds #
The lines TrustLens checks your ratios against:
| Network | Program | Trigger |
|---|---|---|
| Visa | VAMP (merchant “Excessive”) | 1.5% in the US, Canada, Europe, Asia Pacific (from 1 April 2026) and Latin America; 2.2% in CEMEA — with at least 1,500 fraud reports + disputes a month (CEMEA: 150 and USD 75,000) |
| Mastercard | ECP | 1.50% with 100+ disputes |
| Amex | Excessive Disputes | ~ 1.0% |
| Discover | Monitoring | ~ 1.0% |
VAMP replaced Visa’s older VDMP and VFMP programs on 1 June 2025. Its ratio is (fraud reports + disputes) ÷ settled card-not-present transactions — it counts TC40 fraud reports that issuers send to your processor, not just disputes.
Each network’s line applies to that brand’s ratio. Stay below 70% of each line for a healthy buffer — about 1.05% for Visa and Mastercard, 0.7% for Amex and Discover. For Visa, aim lower still: TrustLens sees disputes only, so its Visa figure is a floor of the ratio Visa calculates. If your processor reports TC40 fraud counts, add them to TrustLens’s dispute count to estimate your real VAMP ratio.
Step 1: Verify Auto-Ingestion Is Working #
The ratio depends on accurate dispute data. For Stripe and WooPayments:
- Confirm the Chargeback Tracking module is on in Settings → Detection
- Check that recent disputes appear — the “Chargeback / dispute filed” notice on the disputed orders, or (Pro) the Chargeback Monitor’s activity feed
- If disputes are missing, troubleshoot webhook delivery (see Stripe Webhook Issues)
For other gateways (PayPal, Square, offline), set a recurring routine to manually log disputes on the order screen — weekly at minimum, and with the card brand selected. Missed disputes mean a falsely low ratio that lulls you into complacency.
Step 2: Watch the Ratio #
Free #
The free dashboard has no ratio gauge. It shows a red “Chargeback ratio over network threshold” alert once any brand crosses its line in the current month — there is nothing to configure. Because that alert only appears after you’ve crossed, free stores should also check their processor’s dispute reporting regularly.
Pro #
Open TrustLens → Chargeback Monitor:
- Network program progress shows each brand’s ratio and how close it is to its line
- 12-month trend chart shows whether you’re improving or worsening
- Trailing-30-day ratio supplements the calendar-month view
- The open-disputes worklist shows which disputes need a response first
Step 3: Set the Daily Ratio Alerts (Pro) #
The daily ratio alert is always on with Pro. On the Chargeback Monitor page, in the Chargeback settings card:
- Set Ratio alert threshold to 70% (the default) — or lower for more lead time
- Save
Alerts go to the WordPress site admin email. You’ll receive an email the first day any program’s ratio reaches 70% of its line, and at most one alert per program per month. To reach more people, use a shared admin mailbox or a Pro automation rule on the Chargeback Filed trigger.
Step 4: Enable Auto-Block After Lost Disputes (Pro) #
For stores at risk of monitoring programs, aggressive customer-side enforcement is essential.
- Chargeback Monitor → Chargeback settings → Auto-block after lost disputes
- Set to 2, or 1 if you’re already approaching thresholds (the default is 0, which is off)
- Save, and make sure Enable Blocking is on in Settings → General
This automatically blocks any customer who accumulates the configured number of lost disputes. Repeat-dispute customers are the dominant driver of monthly ratios — blocking them after the second lost dispute prevents a third.
Step 5: Use Dispute Evidence Reports (Pro) #
For every active dispute, generate a Dispute Evidence Report and submit alongside your standard evidence. This is the single most effective lever for improving win rates on friendly-fraud disputes. Winning doesn’t remove a dispute from the ratio for the month it was filed, but it keeps the customer’s lost-dispute count down and the money in your account.
Step 6: Address Upstream Causes #
Defensive measures help but don’t address why disputes are happening. Audit your store for upstream causes:
| Cause | Indicator | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Slow shipping | “Product not received” dispute reasons | Improve fulfillment SLA; better tracking |
| Product quality issues | “Product not as described” | Review product photos, descriptions, sizing |
| Unclear refund policy | “Cancelled but not refunded” | Tighten refund workflow; clearer policy |
| Subscription confusion | “Unauthorized recurring charge” | Clearer subscription opt-in; reminder emails before renewal |
| Friendly fraud (intentional) | “Fraudulent” / “Unauthorized” on customers with delivery confirmation | TrustLens behavioral evidence; aggressive auto-block |
| Card testing | Sudden spike of fraud-reason disputes — and fraud reports that count toward VAMP without becoming disputes | Card-Testing Defense tightening; Browser Challenge |
Step 7: Aggressive Moderation in Amber Status #
If any brand’s row on the Chargeback Monitor turns amber (past your warning level), tighten enforcement immediately:
- Enable checkout blocking master toggle if not already on
- Tighten auto-block to 1 lost dispute
- Hold orders from Risk-segment customers (Pro automation rule with the Hold Order action)
- Review and bulk-block confirmed fraud-ring members
- Tighten Payment Method Controls — hide BNPL for risky customers
Step 8: Communicate Proactively With Your Processor #
Processors prefer merchants who communicate. VAMP also monitors acquirers across their portfolio, so your processor is watching your ratio closely. If you’re approaching a threshold:
- Reach out to your processor account manager
- Ask for your TC40 fraud-report counts so you can see your full VAMP ratio
- Share what you’re doing (TrustLens enforcement, dispute responses, root-cause fixes)
- Document your protection measures
- This often buys you goodwill if you do tip into monitoring
If You Cross the Threshold #
If you tip into monitoring despite best efforts:
- Treat it as urgent
- Maximize win rate on every dispute (Pro Evidence Reports)
- Most aggressive enforcement settings
- Build new clean order denominator quickly — don’t reduce ad spend; clean traffic dilutes the ratio
- Document all measures for the processor remediation plan
- Aim for sustained 3-month improvement to graduate the program
Long-Term Strategy #
The merchants who never enter monitoring programs share patterns:
- Detection is on day one — they don’t wait until a problem emerges
- Enforcement is consistent — they don’t unblock at the first complaint
- Evidence submission is routine — every dispute gets a response
- Upstream causes are addressed — they don’t only defend, they fix
- Per-brand visibility — they monitor each brand, not blended
Metrics to Track #
- Monthly ratio per brand (Pro Chargeback Monitor)
- Trailing-30-day ratio
- Visa fraud reports (TC40) from your processor, added to TrustLens’s Visa disputes
- Win rate on disputes filed (overall and by reason code)
- Dispute reason distribution (catches upstream causes)
- Auto-block firings per month (catches the worst customers automatically)
Updated on October 18, 2026
