Why High-Risk Equals High Scrutiny
If you sell CBD, supplements, adult content, coaching subscriptions, or anything else card brands flag as “high-risk,” your processor is already nervous. One spike in disputes or billing confusion can tip your ratio over the line—and the moment you do, they’ll cut ties fast.
Processors don’t wait around to negotiate. They close your MID, hold your funds, and move on.
The Fast Lane to Termination: Top Triggers
| Trigger | What It Looks Like | Why It Gets You Dropped |
|---|---|---|
| Excessive chargebacks | Dispute ratio > 0.9% (Visa) or > 1.5% (Mastercard) | Flags you as “excessive” and hits processors with fees |
| Fraud or enumeration spikes | Thousands of $0.01 “card test” attempts | Visa’s enumeration ratio gets triggered—even if chargebacks are low |
| Compliance gaps | Missing refund policy, unclear delivery time, broken 3DS | Signals future risk to acquirers |
| Regulatory exposure | Operating in a gray or unlicensed vertical | Creates legal/liability risk for processors |
| Portfolio balancing | You’re borderline, but your processor’s risk book is overloaded | You get cut to protect their VAMP score |
Visa’s 2025 VAMP Crackdown—What’s Changing?
Visa is rolling out a new, tougher Visa Acquirer Monitoring Program (VAMP) starting in October 2025. If you’re in a high-risk category, here’s what you need to know:
- Unified dispute ratio: Fraud and non-fraud now count together
- Stricter limits: Many merchants must stay below 1.5%, and some high-risk verticals will be expected to stay under 0.9%
- Enumeration ratio introduced: If 20%+ of your authorizations are card tests, you're flagged—regardless of chargebacks
- No “above standard” grace: You’re either compliant or in violation
- Real enforcement begins October 1, 2025
Processors will preemptively shut down MIDs that even approach these limits.
What Getting Dropped Looks Like
If you’ve never been dropped, here’s what to expect when it happens:
- Your reserve spikes to 100%—sometimes overnight
- You get a 30–60 day termination notice (or none at all)
- Your funds are frozen for up to 180 days
- You may be added to the MATCH list, which flags you as high-risk industry-wide
- Getting dropped doesn’t just kill your revenue. It follows you everywhere.
How to Stay Off the Chopping Block
Here’s what smart high-risk merchants are doing now to protect their accounts:
- Monitor your dispute ratio weekly, not monthly
- Use Verifi and Ethoca alerts to catch disputes before they escalate
- Block enumeration attacks using velocity checks and CAPTCHA
- Fix your checkout flow—clear billing descriptors, real-time support, fair refund policies
- Keep docs ready: Maintain updated policies, fulfillment SOPs, and dispute records
- Diversify traffic and payment rails to avoid burning your main processor
Chargeblast: Built for High-Risk Merchants
Even if you’ve been approved, your survival depends on staying under Visa’s new limits. Chargeblast is built to help high-risk merchants prevent disputes, manage fraud, and protect their MID.
With Chargeblast, you get:
- Real-time dispute ratio tracking (including Visa VAMP forecasts)
- Auto-response tools for Verifi, Ethoca, and RDR
- Enumeration defense tuned for your industry
- Chargeback-ready evidence packets in one click
Getting approved is just the beginning. Staying approved takes work. Chargeblast helps high-risk merchants keep their accounts alive—and profitable.
FAQs: High-Risk Terminations & VAMP
What dispute ratio gets me dropped?
Visa flags you at 0.9% with 100+ disputes/month. Some processors may cut you earlier to protect their portfolio average.
What if I change processors?
It won’t help. Your history follows you via the MATCH list and internal acquirer data.
How long do I stay in VAMP once flagged?
You’ll need to stay under the threshold for multiple months. Slip once, and the clock resets.
Does Chargeblast reduce chargebacks?
Yes. We prevent, block, and fight disputes so your ratios stay clean—even in high-risk verticals.
Final Thoughts
Visa’s new VAMP update isn’t just another rule tweak—it’s a high-risk merchant purge waiting to happen. If you're not already monitoring your ratios and fighting disputes in real-time, you’re on borrowed time.
Want to avoid getting dropped? Let Chargeblast help.
