Visa Dispute Monitoring Program (VDMP) Is Now VAMP

The Visa Dispute Monitoring Program (VDMP) no longer exists on its own. Visa retired it on April 1, 2025 and folded it into the Visa Acquirer Monitoring Program (VAMP), with four other fraud and dispute programs.

I've worked the customer-support side of a chargeback tooling company. I dug into merchants' processor setups after they got flagged. A switch like VDMP-to-VAMP leaves merchants working from an outdated playbook without knowing it.

This guide maps every old VDMP term to what Visa calls it under its current chargeback monitoring programs.

Key takeaways

• Visa retired VDMP on April 1, 2025 and folded it into VAMP.
• VAMP uses one combined fraud-and-dispute ratio instead of five programs.
• The VAMP Excessive Merchant threshold is 2.2% in AP, Canada, EU, US.
• That threshold drops to 1.5% in those regions on April 1, 2026.
• Fewer disputes is the most direct way to stay under the ratio.

What happened to the Visa Dispute Monitoring Program (VDMP)?

Visa retired VDMP on April 1, 2025 and folded it into the Visa Acquirer Monitoring Program (VAMP), with four other fraud and dispute programs. The old dispute-only program is gone. The ratio Visa now watches combines fraud and disputes into one number.

VAMP replaces five separate ratios with one combined ratio and one remediation process. So you no longer track VDMP and the Visa Fraud Monitoring Program (VFMP) apart. Both fraud and disputes now count toward the same VAMP ratio.

That change is why searching for "VDMP thresholds" today gives you stale numbers. The 0.90% entry point and the 1.8% Excessive tier belonged to VDMP's old four-tier structure, a program Visa has since replaced.

VAMP can flag a merchant the old dispute-only view cleared. It counts fraud alongside disputes, and the 2026 threshold sits lower than the old entry point.

Today's rules all sit under VAMP, and this article translates the old VDMP terms into what applies now.

For the dispute process itself, our Visa chargeback guide covers how a Visa dispute moves from filing to resolution.

Old VDMP terms and thresholds, mapped to VAMP

Every VDMP tier and threshold has a direct VAMP equivalent, and the table below translates old guidance into what applies today. VDMP's four tiers no longer exist as separate entry points. A merchant is now either over or under the single VAMP Excessive Merchant ratio.

According to Visa, VDMP ran 4 tiers (Early Warning, Standard, High-Risk, and Excessive) with 0.90% and 1.8% thresholds. Those tiers are now one VAMP Excessive Merchant figure.

Visa's data puts VFMP's old 0.90% fraud rate on the same VAMP ratio as disputes now, no longer a separate line.

Here is how each old term maps across:

The 2.2% figure changes by region, as our VAMP guide breaks down. It's already 1.5% in the LAC region and 2.2% in CEMEA. So a merchant checking their standing needs to know which Visa region they fall under, not just the headline number.

Crossing that ratio costs more than the fees Visa charges directly. Run your own dispute and fraud counts through our ROI calculator to see what sits between your current numbers and the Excessive Merchant line.

Where to find the current VAMP ratio and thresholds

Our dedicated VAMP guide has the full ratio formula, the current thresholds, and the enumeration-attack rule. This article maps legacy VDMP terms instead of re-deriving how VAMP works. The mapping above is the piece a merchant searching the old program name actually needs.

The VAMP ratio is the count of fraud plus disputes divided by your settled transactions. That same VAMP guide walks through the formula, the acquirer-level thresholds, and the enumeration rule in full.

How to stay below the VAMP dispute-ratio threshold

The VAMP ratio runs on dispute count, so cutting disputes before they're filed is the surest way to stay under the threshold.

Dispute alerts are built for that. They flag a likely dispute before the cardholder's bank files it. Refund the charge then, and the issue is resolved with no chargeback filed, so it never counts.

Alerts lower the dispute side of the ratio. But a merchant with a card-testing or fraud problem still needs fraud-detection tooling. VAMP counts fraud and disputes in the same number.

Get dispute alerts in place and you hold the dispute half of your ratio down.

Do other card networks have similar monitoring programs?

Mastercard, AusPayNet, and Cartes Bancaires each run their own merchant monitoring program, structured differently from Visa's but built around the same idea. Each one flags merchants with outsized dispute or fraud activity.

If you process across networks, you're tracking more than one rule set at once.

Mastercard's excessive chargeback program

Mastercard runs its own chargeback monitoring at the Merchant ID level, with separate programs for overall disputes and for card-not-present fraud. The thresholds and fee schedule differ from Visa's.

Our Mastercard's monitoring program guide has the full entry lines and the way out.

AusPayNet and Cartes Bancaires programs

Australia's AusPayNet runs a CNP Fraud Mitigation Framework, and France's Cartes Bancaires runs a Disputes Monitoring Program. Both are regional and apply only to merchants processing in those markets.

FAQ

Is VDMP still a separate program from VAMP?

No. VDMP was retired on April 1, 2025, and its dispute-ratio monitoring is now part of the single VAMP ratio.

What is the Visa dispute management system called?

Visa's case-management platform is Visa Resolve Online (VROL). It's a separate tool from the monitoring programs, used to handle disputes once they're filed.

How long do Visa disputes typically take?

A Visa dispute usually takes 75 to 120 days to resolve. The exact timeline depends on the reason code and whether the case goes to arbitration.

Does Visa refund money if a customer was scammed?

Visa doesn't refund cardholders directly. The customer's issuing bank decides whether to reverse the charge, based on its own review.

What are valid reasons for a chargeback?

Valid reasons include fraud, an unauthorized transaction, goods not received, and items not as described. Visa sorts these into four reason-code categories, each with its own evidence requirements.

Never flagged under VDMP? Do you still worry about VAMP?

Yes. VAMP combines fraud with disputes and drops to a lower 2026 threshold, so it can flag merchants a dispute-only view would have cleared.