Visa, Mastercard Announce Changes to Chargeback Monitoring Programs

Visa and Mastercard recently outlined new changes to their chargeback monitoring programs. A chargeback monitoring program is a specialized program for merchants who experience a high number of chargebacks, with the purpose being to help these merchants reduce the number of chargebacks filed against them.

It’s critical you choose a payment processor that will monitor your chargebacks for you so you’ll never be forced to enroll into one of these programs and pay the associated fines. I’ll talk more about that in a bit, but first, let’s lay out the changes you can expect Visa and Mastercard to roll out this month.

 

Changes to the Visa Chargeback Monitoring Program (VCMP)

Visa runs two separate chargeback monitoring programs: one for general chargebacks, and one specifically for fraud. The VCMP is the general monitoring program that combines all chargeback types.

There are three “levels” to this program: early warning, standard, and excessive – and in that order. Say a business begins to experience a lot of chargebacks. Once that business crosses an initial threshold, they’ll fall under the “early warning” category, and as their number of chargebacks increases, they’ll then enter the “standard” and eventually the “excessive” tiers. The amount a merchant pays for receiving a chargeback increases as they move up the tiers.

Merchants under the “standard” threshold will face an 8-month probation, while merchants under the “excessive” threshold will face a 12-month probation. Merchants falling under the “early warning” threshold do not enter probation, but are dangerously close to it. Below are both the previous and current chargeback thresholds and the penalties associated with each.

Changes to the Visa Fraud Monitoring Program (VFMP)

Visa specifically monitors fraudulent chargebacks– considered a more alarming chargeback type – through a separate program called the VFMP. Unlike the VCMP, the VFMP does not charge merchants per chargeback (or, in this case, per instance of fraud). Instead, merchants are charged a mass penalty for every month they fall under one of the program’s three thresholds.

The VFMP also splits its program into three “levels”: early warning, standard, and excessive – and in that order. Level placement is determined by how much of the money processed by a business is claimed to be fraudulent by cardholders, as well as by whatever percentage of monthly sales volume that number represents.

Just like the VCMP, merchants under the “standard” threshold will face an 8-month probation, while merchants under the “excessive” threshold will face a 12-month probation. Merchants falling under “early warning” are, again, dangerously close to incurring penalty fees – but nothing beyond that. Below are both the previous and current fraud thresholds, along with the monthly penalty tiers that apply to merchants in the “standard” and “excessive” thresholds.

Changes to the Mastercard Excessive Fraud Merchant Program (EFM)

Mastercard’s chargeback program is slightly different than Visa’s two programs. Their EFM program covers five different cases for filing a chargeback; these cases are called reason codes by Mastercard. They are as follows:

4871: Chip/PIN Liability Shift

4870: Chip Liability Shift

4863: Cardholder Does Not Recognize – Potential Fraud

4840: Fraudulent Processing of Transactions

4837: No Cardholder Authorization

Unlike Visa’s two programs, Mastercard has only one threshold level, and merchants will fall under the EFM program if they meet a list of qualifiers. These qualifiers are:

  • The merchant’s e-commerce transaction volume is greater than or equal to 1000 transactions
  • The merchant claims net fraud dollars greater than or equal to $50,000
  • The merchant’s net fraud rate is greater than or equal to 50 basis points (0.50%)
  • Less than 10% of the merchant’s card-not-present transactions are submitted via 3DS and/or data-only.

Penalties for becoming an Excessive Fraud Merchant have yet to be announced, but will go into effect starting in March of next year (2020).

 

 

How Quantum Helps You Stay Out of These Programs

If you’re a merchant, you want to avoid these programs at all costs. The penalties are costly and can hamper your ability to earn significant profit margins. But…there is a way to prevent your business from crossing any of these thresholds, and that is to choose a payment processor with a strong reputation for monitoring chargebacks and fraud.

At Quantum, our in-house experts keep their finger on the pulse of your business. They’ll work with you to minimize chargebacks and fraud before you’re ever close to landing in one of these penalty programs. It costs much less to pay us to monitor your account than it costs you to pay a card company whenever you breach their thresholds.

Let us help you keep the money you make. Click here for a complimentary merchant statement analysis and to learn more about the chargeback prevention strategies we use to keep our merchants out of the red.

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Effective Date: January 1, 2024

1. Scope

1.1. This Agreement applies to and governs Merchant’s access to and use of the Services, Hardware, and Professional Services ordered by Merchant under a Free Hardware and Software Order. The Services may include, but may not be limited to, (a) mobile and web applications for use by Merchant’s Employees and Customers to place orders and process Payments; (b) Point-of-sale hardware for use by Merchant’s Employees and Customers to place orders and process Payments; (c) processing of Payments and facilitating payment of Net Sales Proceeds to Merchant’s Bank Account; (d) providing Merchant with certain reporting on its sales and activities; and (e) working with Merchant with respect to any Customer inquiries related to Payments or placing orders, in each case under Merchant’s account with Quantum Electronic Payments.

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5. Taxes and Shipping

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5.2. Shipping. The Merchant agrees to pay the shipping costs of the hardware ordered by the Merchant.

6. Term and Termination

6.1. Merchant Processing Agreement Termination by Merchant. The merchant may terminate their Merchant Processing Agreement (Section 2) with Quantum Electronic Payments LLC at any time.

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8.1. Governing Law and Jurisdiction. The Parties intend that this Agreement be construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of California without regard to any conflict-of-law or choice-of-law rules, and that the rule of construction that provides that a document is construed against the maker thereof be inapplicable in the construction of any of the terms of this Agreement. The Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act, and the United Nations Convention on the International Sale of Goods, shall not apply to this Agreement.

8.2. Dispute Resolution. Any dispute, claim, or controversy arising out of or relating in any way to this Agreement or the breach, termination, enforcement, interpretation, or validity thereof, including the determination of the scope or applicability of this agreement to arbitrate, or in connection with Merchant’s use of the Services or our websites, shall be determined through confidential binding arbitration before one arbitrator. The confidential binding arbitration shall be administered by AAA pursuant to its Commercial Arbitration Rules, and the parties shall maintain the confidential nature of the arbitration proceeding and the award, including the hearing. Judgment on the award may be entered in any court having jurisdiction. Notwithstanding the foregoing, this Agreement shall not preclude either party from pursuing a court action in the state or federal courts for the sole purpose of obtaining a temporary restraining order or preliminary injunction in circumstances in which such relief is appropriate; provided that any other relief shall be pursued through an arbitration proceeding pursuant to this Agreement. In any event, any action or proceeding by Merchant against Quantum Electronic Payments LLC relating to any dispute must commence within one year after the cause of action accrues.

8.3. Prohibition of Class and Representative Actions and Non-Individualized Relief. Except where prohibited by Applicable Law and Rules, Merchant and Quantum Electronic Payments LLC agree that each may bring claims against the other only on an individual basis and not as plaintiff or class member in any purported class or representative action or proceeding. Unless both Merchant and Quantum Electronic Payments LLC agree otherwise, the arbitrator may not consolidate or join more than one person’s or party’s claims and may not otherwise preside over any form of a consolidated, representative, or class proceeding. Also, the arbitrator may award relief (including monetary, injunctive, and declaratory relief) only in favor of the individual party seeking relief and only to the extent necessary to provide relief necessitated by that party’s individual claim(s).

8.4. Pre-Arbitration Dispute Resolution. Quantum Electronic Payments LLC is always interested in resolving disputes amicably and efficiently, and most concerns can be resolved quickly and to the participant’s satisfaction by contacting Quantum Electronic Payments LLC’s support team. If such efforts prove unsuccessful, a party who intends to seek arbitration must first send to the other, by certified mail, a written notice of dispute (the “Notice of Dispute”). The Notice of Dispute must (i) describe the nature and basis of the claim or dispute and (ii) set forth the specific relief sought. If Quantum Electronic Payments LLC and Merchant do not resolve the claim or dispute, despite good faith attempts, within sixty (60) calendar days after the Notice of Dispute is received, Merchant or Quantum Electronic Payments LLC may commence an arbitration proceeding. During the arbitration, the amount of any settlement offer made by either party shall not be disclosed to the arbitrator until after the arbitrator determines the amount, if any, to which the parties are entitled.

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