AltoPay

08/12/2026

We’re ready to share our thoughts on the recent updates to the Mastercard fraud and chargeback monitoring standards.

And there is a lot to share.

The announcement that came out a few weeks ago was 7 pages long. 😳

We’ve done our best to break down that information into manageable, easy-to-understand resources.

The end result was three blog articles.

1️⃣ An overview of the announcement itself.
2️⃣ An overview of the Questionable Merchant Audit Program (QMAP).
3️⃣ An overview of the Global Merchant Audit Program (GMAP).

We’re going to share a link to the GMAP article because that affects everyone that might be seeing this post.

https://www.altopay.com/gmap/

(We’re going to assume that none of you are merchants engaging in illegal, collusive behaviors 😉 so the QMAP information is less relevant. But, the GMAP article links to the QMAP article if you are interested.)

We recommend you read through this article in its entirety now. And, bookmark it so you can come back later. We’ve already submitted several questions to Mastercard. As we gain more insights on the topic, we’ll update our resources.

Here’s a quick overview to get you started (but make sure you check out the full article!)

🚨 GMAP is similar to VAMP in many ways.

🚨 Like VAMP, GMAP combines acquirer monitoring and merchant monitoring in one program.

🚨 Like VAMP, GMAP combines fraud and chargeback activity into one metric (we’ll call it the GMAP ratio)

🚨 Unlike VAMP, GMAP doesn’t double dip. Even if a fraud claim does trigger a chargeback, the dispute is only counted in the ratio once.

🚨 VAMP fees are applied to each VAMP case. GMAP fees are assessed monthly and applied in bulk. Depending on which thresholds you’ve breached and how long you’ve been in the program, you could be charged $1,000 - $300,000 a month.

🚨 GMAP has several subcategories. Acquirers have 2 subcategories. Merchants have 5 subcategories.

🚨 Merchants can be identified by more than one subcategory.

🚨 Certain thresholds will be lowered in 2029, 2030, and 2031.

🚨 This update will probably be a challenging one for all of us to wrap our heads around.

Mastercard’s latest update is significant and far-reaching. It is completely understandable if you have questions or concerns. Don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you’d like to chat.

Mastercard’s Global Merchant Audit Program revolutionizes how fraud and chargebacks are monitored. Find out how acquirers and merchants are impacted.

07/22/2026

Mastercard has a new monitoring program — and it goes live on Friday. 😳

The scam merchant monitoring program.

Have you heard about it?

The announcement went out a few months ago. And in typical card brand fashion, the announcement is very technical, nuanced, and difficult to understand.

So we wrote a blog article that breaks down the complexities and simplifies the messaging. Here's a link.

https://www.altopay.com/mastercard-scam-merchant-monitoring-program/

And here's what you'll find:

✳️ An overview of everything that can trigger a scam investigation.
✳️ Details about what the penalties are and when they could be enforced.
✳️ Predictions about potential implications.
✳️ Tips to avoid the scam classification.

If you don't already have a firm understanding of this latest update, we recommend you dig in ASAP. Investigations, identifications, and penalties could come very quickly. As in — a matter of weeks if not days.

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🚨 NOTE

We have already seen several misinterpretations of the scam merchant announcement. As you read about this topic, be sure you’re getting facts and details that come directly from the source.

AltoPay has direct access to the team at Mastercard. We’ve already reached out to clarify several ambiguous points in the announcement. And we will continue to communicate with their team as additional questions and concerns arise.

🤔 IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE SCAM MONITORING PROGRAM...
Let us know. We are happy to help in any way we can. If we can’t answer your questions, we’ll reach out to Mastercard for clarification.

05/19/2026

You want to sell in new markets, but you're worried about risks catching you off guard.

We understand.

Payments are complicated.

Chargebacks are unfair.

And fraud can seemingly come out of nowhere.

But we can help.

We'll get you over the hump so you can expand globally.

Here are some dos and don’ts of cross-border sales.

❌ DON’T BITE OFF MORE THAN YOU CAN CHEW. If you want to sell in a new region, you’ll probably need a local merchant account. And wanting a new merchant account might lead you to look for a new merchant account provider. But multiple providers means multiple relationships, contracts, platforms, workflows, reporting, and support teams. Try to consolidate solutions as much as possible. Find a merchant account provider who can help you in multiple regions.

❌ DON’T OVERLOOK LOCAL PAYMENT OPTIONS. According to industry data, 70% of world-wide transactions are bank transfers, digital wallet transactions, or cash voucher payments — not credit or debit card purchases. If you are going to sell in a new country, you better understand local payment preferences.

❌ DON’T BE UNPROTECTED. If you add new payment methods, make sure you also add the risk management tools needed to protect those payment methods.

❌ DON’T UNDERESTIMATE THE COMPLEXITY. Tasks that seem simple — or at least manageable — in your home country might be quite difficult when you try to replicate them in other regions. Consider things like settlement currency, settlement timeline, and how much it will cost to convert from the local processing currency to your settlement currency. Think about how to move money in and out of your international bank accounts.

✅ DO PUT THOUGHT INTO YOUR LOCAL ENTITY. When and where is a local presence required? Which jurisdictions are considered tax friendly?

✅ DO CONSIDER COMPLIANCE. Each country has different rules — some more complex than others. Card brands even have different rules for different countries. Before selling in a new region, make sure you know what is expected of you. Non-compliance penalties can be expensive and sometimes impossible to recover from.

✅ DO CREATE A COMPLETE STRATEGY. Focus on all areas of the business — not just the most flashy and obvious parts. For example, don’t overspend on marketing and sales but shortchange customer support and risk management.

✅ DO PAY ATTENTION TO LANGUAGE. Don’t assume everyone does business in English and USD. Your checkout experience must be in the local language. Customer support too.

✅ DO SPLIT TEST. Just because something appears to be working doesn’t meant mean you’re getting the very best results possible. Constantly refine your strategy and look for ways to optimize ROI.

✅ DO GET PROFESSIONAL HELP. You don't have to manage your payments strategy alone. Work with a professional — like AltoPay — who is willing to come alongside you and support you as your grow.

Want help getting over the hump? Reach out to AltoPay today.

10/21/2025

Welcome to our first weekly Tip Tuesday series where we offer helpful advice and never-before-shared insights to optimize your chargeback management strategy.

Let’s get started.

🧠 HOW TO MATCH AN ALERT TO ITS ORIGINAL TRANSACTION

Each alert comes with information to help you locate the alert’s corresponding transaction in your CRM or order management system.

🟢 The first 6 and last 4 digits of the cardholder’s account number
🟢 The transaction date
🟢 The dispute amount
🟢 The customer name (usually only included with Verifi alerts)
🟢 The acquirer reference number or ARN (usually only included with Verifi alerts)

In most cases, it’s easy to match an alert to the corresponding transaction. But occasionally the information provided doesn’t match anything in your CRM or order management system.

🧠 HERE’S HOW TO TROUBLESHOOT THIS ISSUE:

📌 If you can’t find a transaction on the same date…

Try broadening your search to a couple days before and after the alert date.
The issuer might be using the authorization date instead of the actual processing date. Or maybe your system is tracking the authorization date, but the alert uses the settlement date.

📌 If you can’t find a transaction for the same amount…

Check the currency. You might need to convert the alert currency to the original transaction currency.

Remember “partial amount” disputes are a possibility, and the alert amount could be less than the original transaction amount. For example, if you sold a pair of shoes and a sweater, the cardholder might be disputing only the amount for the shoes.

If you are struggling to match a transaction by alert amount, try matching other variables instead — like the account number.

📌 If you can’t find a transaction with the same account number…

Cardholder account numbers commonly change when a card expires. So it’s possible that the alert and transaction aren’t using the same account number. For example, you might process a transaction with the old account number but receive an alert with the new account number.

Try locating the transaction in your gateway instead of your CRM. If your CRM has already been updated to reflect the new account number but the alert has the old number, your gateway would still have the original number used to process the transaction.

Otherwise, use a different alert data element — such as ARN (if available), cardholder name (if available), date, or amount — for matching.

📌 If nothing matches…

Maybe you are receiving alerts that don’t belong to you. Check back next week for tips on how to manage this issue.

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Do you have a question you’d like us to answer? Let us know. Help craft our series to include information that would be helpful for your business.

08/05/2025

Cards. Everybody's got 'em — and most have far more than just one. 💳💳💳

Because you have to play the game. Score the points.

As a merchant, you're probably like...

😒 Big deal. Who cares if people have a bunch of different cards?!

Who cares? You should.

Every card comes with its own quirks, costs, and risks.

BIN ranges.

Interchange fees.

Cross-border rules.

Mystery fees.

Currency conversion.

And don’t get us started on “business” vs. “commercial” vs. “corporate” vs. “purchasing” cards.

The purchase is made in seconds. But behind the scenes?

🧩 It’s often a puzzle.
🕳️ A trap for your margins.
🌀 That's rarely as simple as it looks.

Because...

💸 Not all cards cost the same to process
🌍 Cross-border = higher fees, more risk
⚠️ Some card types drive more chargebacks
📉 Approval rates, fraud scoring, and pricing all shift depending on what your customer pulls out of their wallet

But there's good news.

🧩 It's not a puzzle to us.

We help merchants decode card types, cut through pricing confusion, and stay ahead of risk — without needing a decoder ring. (Okay, some of us do have the rings, though).

SO HERE'S WHAT WE RECOMMEND...

Collect and analyze your BIN data. (BIN = bank identification number)

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CAVEAT: We know data analysis is time consuming. But it is so important. Every business is different. You need to know what YOUR customers are like. And analyzing your data is the only way to figure that out.

—

BINs share valuable insights like the type of card (debit, credit, prepaid, etc.), the bank that issued it, and the country where the bank is located.

Once you have your data, you can start to look for trends.

🤔 Which card type is most commonly used?
🤔 Which issuers dispute the most purchases?
🤔 Where are disputes and fraud coming from?

Then, start to make some changes.

✅ If the majority of your customers are using cards with high interchange rates, maybe you need to adjust pricing to improve margins.

✅ If there are BINs with higher-than-normal chargeback activity, maybe you need to block future purchases from them.

✅ Check regional activity. Maybe cards aren't as popular as you assumed, and you need to consider alternatives.

When you understand what you're processing, you can make smarter decisions and keep more of what you earn. 💵

05/05/2025

This month we are celebrating a major milestone — 15 years in business! 🎉

Thanks to everyone who has partnered with us over the years. We truly appreciate your support, encouragement, and trust.

Cheers to the next decade — and beyond!

Want to learn more about where we came from and what we're about? Check the blog article link in the comments! 👇

02/12/2025

CDRN (Verifi's prevention alerts) and RDR are going to play a big role in managing VAMP ratios. With the VAMP go-live date quickly approaching, we've had a lot of people ask...

How long does it take to integrate with CDRN and RDR?

The integration timeline really depends on the system that you’re integrating to.

We’ve had merchants integrate to our alerts technology in as little as a day. But sometimes, it can take a couple of weeks if the merchant doesn’t have available resources.

With RDR, you technically don’t have to integrate to use the product because the refund is being done by the acquirer. You just have to enroll and get daily settlement report.

It does take a little longer to enroll in RDR though, and that’s because of some of the complexities of validating that the right metrics are being used during enrollment.

But in general, anyone signing up for these solutions should be live and working with CDRN in about a day and RDR in about two to three weeks.

02/04/2025

Chargebacks aren’t all created equal. Some are worth fighting, and others… not so much. 🥊 Let’s break it down with some tips on when it’s wise to dispute a chargeback.

🎯THE ABSOLUTE WINS (Fight these every time!)

✅ Refunded Transactions
If you refunded the customer before the chargeback was issued, the cardholder's account is credited twice. Which obviously isn't fair!

These situations are called "dual enrichment", and the card brands (Visa, Mastercard, etc.) have policies in place to handle these situations. Issuers are required to fix a double refund — but you have to tell them it's happened.

If you receive a chargeback for a transaction that has already been refunded, simply respond to the chargeback with proof that the refund was issued before the chargeback was filed. You should have a 100% win rate on these cases.

✅ Noncompliant Chargebacks
The card brands heavily regulate the chargeback process. Sometimes, an issuing bank might inadvertently file a chargeback that isn't compliant with rules. For example, it might be filed after the deadline.

In these situations, go for the win by providing documentation that shows the violation.

🤔 THE PROBABLE WINS

✅ Friendly fraud with compelling evidence
When customers dispute legitimate purchases, you can and should fight back — if you have compelling evidence to support your case.

Compelling evidence varies by reason code. So make sure you check what is is needed. If you have a strong case, you can challenge the chargeback and attempt to recover lost revenue.

🚨 WARNING
In all situations, make sure there is positive ROI. You don’t want to spend more on the response than you are able to recover. Not every chargeback deserves your time and energy.

🗨️What’s your current strategy for picking which chargebacks to fight?

01/22/2025

Here's our weekly dose of VAMP insights. Check out our answer to a recently received question.

❓Are VAMP ratios and minimums calculated on a per-MID basis?

Current fraud and chargeback monitoring programs calculate risk for each individual MID (merchant account). So an individual MID could breach thresholds and get terminated.

However, VAMP calculations are based on descriptors — not MIDs. Descriptors by acquirer, to be exact.

What does that mean?

If you have multiple merchant accounts with the same or similar descriptor — all with a single acquirer — then those accounts may be rolled together and viewed as one descriptor. And ratios and minimums would be for the combined MIDs.

In theory, if that one descriptor breaches the thresholds, then the consolidated accounts could all be impacted.

We don’t know for sure if that’s how descriptors will be handled. You’ll want to talk to your acquirer to be sure.

If this — or any other VAMP updates — are a concern for your business, feel free to reach out to our team. We can talk through potential strategies and help you determine the best way to move forward.

01/14/2025

Losing money is bad enough, but losing it twice?! That's just unacceptable.

Here's what you need to know about double refunds.

EXPLANATION...
Double refunds happen when you refund a transaction AND a chargeback is filed for the same transaction. So the cardholder is credited twice and you lose double the revenue.

IF YOU EXPERIENCE A DOUBLE REFUND...
The technical term for a double refund is "dual enrichment," and the card brands (Visa, Mastercard, etc.) have policies in place to handle these situations.

Issuers are required to fix a double refund — but you have to tell them it's happened.

If you receive a chargeback for a transaction that has already been refunded, simply respond to the chargeback with proof that the refund was issued before the chargeback was filed. You should have a 100% win rate on these cases.

HOW TO PREVENT DOUBLE REFUNDS...

Here are some prevention tips:

* If a cardholder requests (and is entitled to) a refund, make sure you issue credit ASAP. Don't delay.

* After you've issued the credit, notify the cardholder. Let the cardholder know when the money should be refunded to the account — sometimes it could take up to a week.

* If you use prevention alerts, refund and respond ASAP (at most, 24 hours). If the issuer knows a refund is coming, they shouldn't issue a chargeback.

* Don't ever issue a refund AFTER receiving a chargeback. A chargeback automatically credits the cardholder's account. You don't need to refund the transaction yourself. And if you do refund after the chargeback, the issuer is not required to resolve the dual enrichment.