Mastercard’s Excessive Chargeback Program (ECP) is one of the toughest compliance issues for high-risk merchants. Once you're flagged, penalties start stacking fast—higher fees, increased scrutiny, and even processing limitations.
One telehealth merchant processing over $120 million annually was stuck in this exact situation. Despite working with a well-known alert provider (Ethoca), they couldn't get their 1.7% Mastercard chargeback rate under the ECP threshold of 1.5%.
They weren’t ignoring the problem—they were just under-covered.
The Problem with Partial Coverage
The merchant had chargeback alerts in place, but the results weren’t enough. Many Mastercard chargebacks still slipped through due to limited BIN coverage from the alert provider.
That meant preventable disputes were still hitting the account, dragging the chargeback rate up month after month and keeping the business in Mastercard’s ECP penalty box.
What Changed with Chargeblast
When the merchant switched to Chargeblast, the results were immediate and dramatic. Chargeblast’s proprietary processor integrations enabled wider BIN coverage, allowing Chargeblast to intercept more disputes, including many that the previous provider consistently missed.
In less than a full chargeback cycle:
- Alert coverage jumped to 97%
- Chargeback rate dropped to 0.2%
- The merchant exited Mastercard’s ECP
Why It Worked
Chargeblast didn’t just provide alerts—it delivered coverage where it mattered most. The key differentiator was technical: deep BIN-level routing access across a broader network of issuers and processors.
This allowed the merchant to prevent more disputes in real time, regain compliance, and finally move out from under the weight of Mastercard’s penalties.
The Bigger Picture
This isn’t a story about incremental improvements. It’s about a complete turnaround driven by smarter infrastructure. With Chargeblast, the merchant didn’t just reduce their chargeback rate—they escaped a costly compliance program and regained operational control.
For merchants in high-risk categories or dealing with stubborn dispute trends, this case shows what’s possible when prevention technology actually does its job.
Getting stuck in Mastercard’s ECP isn’t just about bad luck—it’s about missed chargebacks. Chargeblast helps you catch the ones slipping through the cracks. Still seeing chargebacks even with an alert provider? It’s time to find out what they’ve been missing.
