- Approval rate
- 99%
- Revenue processed
- $1.2B+
- Transactions
- 8M+
- Telegram support
- 24/7
What changed
Visa cut the line by a third. Most merchants found out from a fee.
VAMP rolls fraud reports and disputes into one ratio, measured against your settled card-not-present sales every calendar month. On April 1, 2026 the Excessive line dropped from 2.2% to 1.5%, leaving 32% less room for the same business.
How Visa calculates it
VAMP ratio =
(TC40 fraud reports + TC15 disputes)
÷ settled card-not-present transactions
- Excessive merchant line
- 1.5%
- Down from 2.2%
- Minimum events
- 1,500
- Fraud reports plus disputes, per month
- Fee once flagged
- $8
- On every fraud report and dispute
Thresholds shown for merchants in the US, Canada, Europe and Asia-Pacific. Visa bills the acquirer, which typically passes the fee to you.
The timeline
Apr 1, 2025
VAMP replaces two programs
Visa folds its separate fraud and dispute monitoring programs into one combined ratio.
Oct 1, 2025
Enforcement begins
Merchants identified as Excessive start paying a fee on every fraud report and dispute.
Jan 1, 2026
Acquirers get squeezed
Visa starts enforcing a 0.5% Above Standard level across each acquirer's whole portfolio.
Apr 1, 2026
The line drops to 1.5%
The Excessive merchant threshold falls from 2.2% to 1.5% in the US, Canada, Europe and Asia-Pacific.
Why good merchants get flagged
VAMP catches brands that think they're safe
The ratio is stricter than the headline number suggests. These four rules are why processors are reviewing, reserving and closing high-risk accounts right now.
One sale can count twice
A fraud report (TC40) that later turns into a dispute (TC15) counts as two events in your ratio.
Winning doesn't erase it
Disputes you win and refunds issued after a dispute still count toward your VAMP ratio.
Your processor's line is lower
Acquirers are measured at 0.5% across their whole portfolio, so many act on merchants long before 1.5%.
It counts events, not dollars
A $9 dispute moves your ratio as much as a $900 one, so subscription and low-ticket brands feel it first.
What happens when you cross it
- $8 on every event
- Charged on each fraud report and dispute once you're flagged Excessive, and typically passed straight through by your acquirer.
- Reserves and held funds
- Processors protect themselves first, with rolling reserves, delayed payouts and stricter terms.
- Termination and MATCH
- Stay over the line and your account can be closed. A termination for excessive disputes can put you on the MATCH list for five years.
“The MRR space is full of merchants that make mistakes and blow themselves up with chargebacks.”
Free VAMP check
Where does your ratio sit right now?
Pull this month's numbers from your processor's fraud and dispute reports. Nothing you type here is saved or sent anywhere.
Your VAMP ratio
High risk1.32%
You're close to the line. One bad week of fraud reports or disputes can push you over 1.5%, and most processors will act before Visa does.
- Events counted
- 330
- Room left under 1.5%
- 44 events
- Fees if flagged
- $2,640/mo
Estimate for merchants in the US, Canada, Europe and Asia-Pacific. Visa flags a merchant as Excessive at a 1.5% ratio with at least 1,500 combined fraud reports and disputes in a month, charges the acquirer $8 per event, and acquirers can apply stricter limits of their own.
How Phoenix protects you
Everything you need to stay under the line
Phoenix was built by operators who know the pain of processor shutdowns firsthand. You get direct acquirer relationships plus the monitoring and prevention VAMP now demands.
Real-time VAMP reporting
See your fraud and dispute ratio move per MID, every day, instead of finding out from a notice or a fee.
Chargeback prevention program
Enrollment in pre-dispute alerts and resolution, so more disputes are stopped before they count against you.
MID health monitoring
Early warnings when a MID starts trending toward a threshold, with a plan in place before your processor notices.
Tailored payments stack
Leading auth rates and lower fees, tuned for risk, performance and cost at the transaction level.
Phoenix Gateway
You own your customer card data, not the processor. No lock-in, with high-risk options for any business type.
24/7 Telegram support
A dedicated Telegram group with payments experts, consulting and ongoing performance monitoring.
How it works
From application to processing, with your rates guaranteed
Built by operators who've scaled 8- and 9-figure D2C brands, so the process is fast, direct and done with you.
- 01
Pre-vetting application
Two minutes. Tell us about your business, your volume and where your ratio sits today.
- 02
Screening call
A personalized consultation with payments experts to assess your processing needs.
- 03
Free merchant services checkup
If we can't meet or beat your current rates, you receive a $500 Visa gift card.
- 04
Gateway setup
Phoenix Gateway goes live. You own your data, not the processor.
- 05
Chargeback prevention enrollment
Pre-dispute tools switched on, so fewer disputes ever reach your ratio.
- 06
Ongoing MID health monitoring
Real-time VAMP reporting and early warnings for every day you process.
Meet or beat your rates, or $500 on us.
If our free merchant services checkup can't meet or beat your current rates, you receive a $500 Visa gift card. There are no setup fees and no processor lock-in.
Merchant results
Operators who scaled with Phoenix
“Phoenix has helped us 10X the profit we earn from each customer.”
Abou DiopSerial 7-figure D2C entrepreneur “Phoenix helped us achieve multiple 7-figures in ARR within 90 days of onboarding.”
Lang LiCEO and Founder, Qalco Capital “Phoenix is the real deal and true innovator in this space.”
Henry CaoCEO, Day One Fulfillment “Phoenix merchants consistently scale without issues and it’s amazing to see as a service provider.”
Chris BermanCEO and Co-Founder, Numbers Payments
Verticals
High-risk merchants we serve
Direct acquirer relationships matched to your vertical, from subscription brands to firearms. Don't see yours? Apply anyway and we'll review it.
- Ecommerce and DTC
- Subscriptions
- Nutraceuticals
- CBD
- Dropshipping
- Adult
- Dating
- Firearms
- Online pharmacy
- Travel
- Ticket brokers
- Furniture
- MLM
- Credit repair
- Debt collection
- High volume
Apply in 2 minutes
Get VAMP-ready before next month's count
Three quick steps, about two minutes. A Phoenix payments specialist reviews every application personally and reaches out to book your screening call.
Step 1: Screening call
A payments expert reviews your application and books a short call about your processing.
Step 2: Free merchant services checkup
We meet or beat your current rates, or you receive a $500 Visa gift card.
Step 3: Gateway, prevention and monitoring
Phoenix Gateway, chargeback prevention and real-time VAMP reporting, set up for your MID.
FAQ
Questions merchants ask before they apply
What is Visa's VAMP program?
The Visa Acquirer Monitoring Program replaced Visa's separate fraud and dispute monitoring programs in April 2025. It combines fraud reports (TC40) and disputes (TC15) into one ratio, measured against your settled card-not-present sales each calendar month.
What changed on April 1, 2026?
In the US, Canada, Europe and Asia-Pacific, the Excessive merchant threshold dropped from 2.2% to 1.5%. A merchant over the line with at least 1,500 combined fraud reports and disputes in a month is charged $8 per event, typically passed through by the acquirer, and faces reserves or termination if it stays there.
My ratio is under 1.5%. Am I safe?
Not necessarily. Acquirers are measured across their whole portfolio at 0.5% and 0.7%, so many set stricter limits for individual merchants and add reserves or close accounts well before Visa's line. A spike in a single month can be enough.
Do disputes I win still count?
Yes. Won disputes and refunds issued after a dispute still count toward VAMP, and a fraud report that later becomes a dispute can count twice. Stopping disputes before they're filed is what actually lowers your ratio.
How does Phoenix help me stay under the line?
Real-time VAMP reporting shows your ratio per MID every day, early warnings flag a MID before it trends toward a threshold, and our chargeback prevention program resolves more disputes before they count. Backup MIDs keep you processing if a processor gets cautious anyway.
What happens after I apply?
A payments specialist reviews your application and books a short screening call. From there we run your free merchant services checkup, set up Phoenix Gateway and enroll you in chargeback prevention and MID health monitoring. All accounts are subject to underwriting and approval.
What is the $500 rate guarantee?
Every application gets a free merchant services checkup. If we can't meet or beat your current rates, you receive a $500 Visa gift card.
Are there setup fees or long contracts?
There are no setup fees and no processor lock-in. With Phoenix Gateway you own your customer card data, so you're never trapped with one processor.
VAMP is measured every calendar month
Don't find out from a fee.
Every month without real-time visibility is a month VAMP can flag you. Apply now and get monitoring, dispute prevention and a backup plan in place before the next count closes.
