Chargeback management
Chargebacks kill high-risk accounts. We keep your ratio down.
A three-layer defence built for merchants who cannot afford a single monitoring-program breach. Prevention at the checkout, alerts before disputes, representment when they land.
What you are up against
Scheme monitoring programs, in plain language.
Visa and Mastercard both run programs that flag merchants when chargeback ratios cross a defined level. Once you are in one, fees rise, terms tighten, and account exit becomes a real possibility.
Acquirer Monitoring Program (VAMP)
Visa monitors merchants at defined dispute and fraud thresholds. Merchants who exceed them enter early-warning, standard, or excessive tiers. Each tier triggers escalating acquirer fees and remediation obligations. Exact thresholds change and are set by Visa in current program documentation.
Excessive Chargeback merchant programs
Mastercard runs equivalent programs (ECM and high-excessive tiers) with published monthly dispute-count and ratio triggers. Merchants who breach are placed under a remediation plan, incur per-chargeback assessments, and can be delisted if the ratio does not come down within the program window.
What breaching means for you
Higher per-chargeback fees, mandatory remediation reporting, higher reserves, and, if the ratio does not come down, delisting from card acceptance. For high-risk verticals the second event is usually terminal, which is why the first line of defence sits at your checkout, not at your dispute inbox.
Our approach
Three layers, in order.
Every dollar prevented is a dollar you keep, without a fee. Every dispute deflected is a chargeback that never counts against your ratio.
Layer 1
Prevent
Stop the transaction that would have become a dispute.
- 3DS2 with exemptions for trusted customers and low-value flows.
- AI fraud engine: device fingerprint, velocity rules, BIN and IP intelligence.
- Descriptor discipline so cardholders recognise the charge on their statement.
- Clear checkout copy, terms, and receipts that reduce disputed intent.
Layer 2
Deflect
Resolve disputes before they become chargebacks.
- Ethoca and Verifi pre-dispute alerts wired in on approval.
- Automatic refund of flagged transactions inside the alert window.
- Ratio protection: alert-resolved disputes never hit your chargeback count.
- Cardholder communication template packs for high-touch verticals.
Layer 3
Fight
Win the disputes that land, with evidence built to scheme rules.
- Automatic representment with evidence packs pulled from your gateway data.
- Reason-code aware submissions (10.4, 13.1, 13.7, and the rest).
- Human review on high-value cases before scheme submission.
- Win-rate reporting by reason code and vertical every month.
Live monitoring
Your ratio, tracked before the scheme tracks it.
Every merchant dashboard shows chargeback ratio with an early-warning line set well below scheme thresholds. If the trend heads the wrong way, your account manager calls you the same week.
Chargeback ratio, rolling monthly
0.49% -0.06 vs last month
Illustrative dashboard. Real numbers appear inside your Rizk Pay merchant portal from day one of live processing.
FAQ
Chargeback questions we hear weekly.
Card schemes compare chargebacks to sales inside a defined window. The exact denominator (settled transactions in the same or prior month) and threshold change by scheme and program, but a rising trend is the signal that matters. Your Rizk Pay dashboard shows a rolling monthly ratio with an early-warning line set well below scheme thresholds.
Ethoca and Verifi run networks that surface cardholder disputes before they become chargebacks. When an alert fires, you have a short window to refund the transaction. A refund inside the window closes the case without a chargeback counting against your ratio.
Program exit is decided by the scheme, not the acquirer. What we do is bring the ratio down, keep it there for the required consecutive months, and file the remediation reporting the scheme expects. Most merchants who follow the plan exit at the earliest allowed review.
Yes. Alert networks charge a per-alert fee, plus your refund cost. For merchants in high-dispute verticals it is typically far cheaper than the equivalent chargeback fees and the ratio impact. We include the alert cost line on your monthly statement so you can see the trade clearly.
Stop watching your ratio climb.
Get a chargeback health review with your underwriting decision.