MerchantGreat25 days until VAMP enforcement beginsLast updated: August 22, 2025
The October 1st Reality
Your 3-Month Grace Period Explained
The Single Most Important Thing to Understand
On October 1, 2025, Visa's VAMP program begins charging $8 USD per dispute for merchants in "Excessive" status. But here's the critical detail most are missing: you need to have been over the threshold for 3 consecutive months to be charged.
This creates two completely different scenarios:
Scenario A: You're Already in Trouble
If your dispute ratio has exceeded the threshold since July 2025 (or earlier):
- You've already hit your 3-month mark
- October 1st = Immediate $8 penalties begin
- Every dispute over threshold costs $8
- No grace period - penalties start day one
Scenario B: You're Just Starting to Slip
If you first exceed the threshold in October 2025 (or later):
- 3-month grace period begins
- Count your months: Oct (1), Nov (2), Dec (3)
- January 2026 = When YOUR penalties would start
- Time to implement fixes before fines hit
Critical Thresholds by Region
US/Canada/EU
Oct 2025 - Mar 2026: 2.2%
From Apr 2026: 1.5%
Latin America
From Oct 2025: 1.5%
No future change
CEMEA
Permanent: 2.2%
Never drops to 1.5%
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Launch GuardScore Co-PilotSources & Configuration:
VAMP program documentation (pp. 67, 79-83)
Generated: 2025-12-03
Educational content; not legal advice