Visa VAMP Ratio Explained for Merchants in 2026

Formula

What is the VAMP ratio?

Visa describes the core VAMP metric as a count-based ratio for card-not-present VisaNet activity:

VAMP ratio = (TC40 fraud count + TC15 dispute count) / TC05 settled transaction count

The key merchant takeaway: winning a dispute later may recover funds, but the dispute event can still matter operationally. Prevention, evidence readiness, and fast root-cause review are the real control loop.

Why it matters

Processors care before you feel the pain.

Visa monitors fraud, dispute, and enumeration levels monthly. When merchants or acquirers exceed program thresholds, they can be required to implement risk mitigation controls. Your processor may also apply stricter internal policies before a formal network threshold is hit.

Review aggregate Visa CNP counts every month.
Track fraud and non-fraud dispute causes separately.
Prepare evidence packets before deadlines get short.

Current threshold model

2026 merchant guardrails to model first.

Region model	Merchant excessive VAMP ratio	Minimum monthly fraud/dispute count	How VAMP Watch uses it
AP / Canada / EU / U.S.	150 bps after April 1, 2026	1,500	Default calculator guardrail for many Stripe/Shopify merchants.
LAC	150 bps	1,500	Same bps model, but confirm regional applicability with your acquirer.
CEMEA	220 bps	150 plus an amount floor	Modeled separately because the official count floor differs.
Unknown	150 bps conservative model	1,500	Use this until your processor confirms the correct regional treatment.

Important: this page is an operating model, not acquirer or network advice. Real program status, fees, exclusions, and remediation obligations must be confirmed with your processor or acquirer.

Routine

Run this before month-end.

Export monthly Visa CNP settled transactions, TC40 fraud count, and TC15 dispute count.
Calculate current bps and the number of remaining cases before the guardrail.
Sort disputes by reason: fraud, product not received, subscription canceled, credit not processed, not as described.
Pick the top preventable cause and create one workflow change before the next billing cycle.

If close to threshold

Do not wait for the warning email.

Move high-risk orders into manual review before capture or fulfillment.
Use delivery/access proof and customer authorization evidence consistently.
Make cancellation, refund, and delivery policies visible at checkout.
Review alert/RDR/pre-dispute options with your processor if volume justifies it.

Next step

Calculate first, then build evidence.

VAMP Watch keeps the beta simple: ratio calculator, evidence builder, and concise merchant operating guidance. Start with the free calculator, then use the evidence desk when a live dispute arrives.

Open calculator Copy the evidence template

Sources

Visa VAMP ratio explained for Stripe and Shopify merchants.