VAMP For Dummies by Align Ecommerce

Good morning, merchant! If you’ve heard the word VAMP lately and thought someone was starting a "Twilight" fan club, I have bad news. It’s actually the Visa Acquirer Monitoring Program, and it’s a lot scarier than a sparkling vampire.

As of April 2026, the rules have changed. Here is your "for dummies" guide to surviving the VAMPire without getting drained.

1. The Dynamic Duo: TC 40 vs. TC 15

To understand VAMP, you have to meet the two characters that make up your score:

• TC 40 (The Tattletale): This is a Fraud Report. It happens when a cardholder tells their bank, "Hey, I didn't buy this!" It hasn't become a full dispute yet, but Visa is already taking notes.

• TC 15 (The Punch): This is a Formal Dispute (a chargeback). This is when the bank officially demands the money back.

The "Double-Count" Trap: Under VAMP, if a transaction is a TC 40 and then becomes a TC 15, Visa counts it twice. It’s the only time "buy one, get one free" is actually a nightmare.

2. The Math (Don’t Panic!)

Your VAMP score isn't about how much money you lose; it’s about how many "oopsies" you have.

The Formula:

TC 40s + TC 15s

Settled Transactions

=

VAMP Ratio

⚠️ MERCHANT WARNING: If this ratio exceeds 1.5%, you hit the "Excessive" tier. At this level, processors stop sending warnings and start looking to terminate your merchant account.

• Quantity Over Quality: A $2 dispute hurts your ratio just as much as a $2,000 dispute.

• Declines Don’t Save You: You can't lower your ratio by declining more cards, because the formula only cares about settled (successful) transactions.

3. The "Danger Zone" (1.5% is the Magic Number)

As of April 1, 2026, Visa lowered the hammer.

• The Threshold: If your ratio hits 1.5%, you are officially "Excessive."

• The Fine: There is no "Oops, my bad" grace period. Hit the Excessive tier with over 1,500 events, and you'll pay an $8 fine for every single fraudulent or disputed transaction.

4. How to Fight Back

Don't just sit there and get bitten! Use these tools to keep your VAMP ratio low:

• Compelling Evidence 3.0 (CE 3.0): If you prove it was "friendly fraud" using historical data (IP addresses, device IDs), Visa will remove that TC 40 from your VAMP math entirely.

• Pre-Dispute Tools: Use Order Insight or RDR to issue a refund to a customer before it becomes a TC 15. A refund is a bummer; a VAMP-killing dispute is a catastrophe.

• Stop the Bots: If bots use your site for "card testing," you'll get hit with Enumeration penalties. Use CAPTCHA to keep the robots out of your piggy bank.

Bottom line: Keep your TC 40s and 15s low, or the VAMPire will come for your neck (and your wallet).

Align Ecommerce

VAMP Mastery: Frequently Asked Questions

Understand how Visa’s updated fraud and dispute monitoring framework may affect your merchant account, chargebacks, and processing stability.

What exactly is VAMP? +

VAMP stands for the Visa Acquirer Monitoring Program. It is Visa’s consolidated framework for monitoring merchant fraud and disputes under one unified risk metric.

What is the difference between a TC 40 and a TC 15? +

A TC 40 is a fraud report submitted by the issuer, while a TC 15 is a formal dispute or chargeback. Under VAMP, fraud reports and disputes can both contribute to your risk exposure.

How do I find my TC 40 reports? +

TC 40 reports are not always visible in a standard merchant dashboard. In many cases, you need to request fraud reporting from your processor, acquiring bank, or gateway-connected risk provider.

How can I enroll in RDR? +

Rapid Dispute Resolution, also known as RDR, is a Visa/Verifi solution designed to resolve eligible disputes before they become formal chargebacks. Enrollment is typically handled through an authorized provider, processor, or risk-management platform.

Can winning a case remove a VAMP hit? +

In certain cases, Compelling Evidence 3.0 may help merchants prove transaction legitimacy and reduce fraud-related exposure. However, merchants should not rely on representment alone. Prevention, refund workflows, fraud controls, and descriptor clarity are critical.

Concerned about your VAMP ratio?

Align Ecommerce helps merchants evaluate fraud exposure, dispute trends, processing risk, and approval stability before problems escalate.

Get a Free Risk Review →