How a chargeback threshold works
A threshold has two parts, and both have to be met: a ratio of disputes to transactions, and a minimum number of disputes in the month. The minimum keeps a small merchant with three chargebacks on a hundred sales out of a programme meant for large problems.
The schemes revise the figures from time to time, so a number is only as good as its date.
Visa's chargeback thresholds
Visa's 2025 fact sheet on its acquirer monitoring programme (VAMP) counts fraud reports plus disputes on card-not-present transactions. An acquirer's portfolio is above standard at 50 basis points (0.5%) and excessive at 70 basis points (0.7%).
A single merchant is excessive at 220 basis points (2.2%) in Europe, the US, Canada and Asia-Pacific, with at least 1,500 fraud reports and disputes in the month. The fact sheet lowers that level to 150 basis points (1.5%) on 1 April 2026.
Mastercard's thresholds, and the acquirer's own
Mastercard measures chargebacks in a month against transactions in the month before, and names two levels: Excessive Chargeback Merchant and High Excessive Chargeback Merchant. Its public Security Rules and Procedures of 4 August 2026 refer to a separate manual for the figures.
An acquirer or PSP normally warns a merchant at a fraction of the scheme's level, since its own portfolio is measured too.
Where a chargeback threshold shows up in a platform
Modules that do the work
- Analytics & monitoringProduct analytics, attribution, engagement and crash reports, on a tracking plan you control.
- Fraud & riskReal-time fraud scoring, limits and case management, with the risk engines you already trust.
- Card acquiringCard acceptance on the phone, in store and online, through the acquirer you choose.
- Merchant onboardingBusiness sign-up, verification and underwriting, from application to first payment.
Platforms that need it
Where it is written
The laws and standards this page's facts come from.
- Visa Acquirer Monitoring Program fact sheet, 2025 (Visa)
- Mastercard Security Rules and Procedures, Merchant Edition, 4 August 2026 (Mastercard)
General information, not legal advice: what applies to you depends on your services and your market.