AltoPay

Grow revenue how and where you want with stable, reliable payment processing.

AltoPay was created to address a painful reality: payments are complicated and difficult to manage. And the confusion, lack of transparency, and volatility can severely hinder business growth. That’s why AltoPay focuses on simplifying complexities so businesses can enjoy stable, reliable payment processing — wherever and however they want to sell. MERCHANT ACCOUNTS - Accept payments from customers

around the world and open new opportunities for growth. CHARGEBACK & FRAUD MANAGEMENT - Resolve disputes, reduce fraud, lower ratios, analyse real-time reporting, and boost your bottom line. PAYMENT TECHNOLOGY - Tap into payment technologies that can actually solve your business’s problems — without introducing more complexities.

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.

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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.

12/18/2024

❓VAMP question of the week ❓

Will VAMP thresholds include a monthly minimum? 🤔

Current fraud and chargeback monitoring programs include monthly minimums. A minimum is a count or amount that must normally be reached before a merchant or acquirer would be enrolled in a program.

For example, the minimum dispute count for enrollment in Visa’s current chargeback monitoring program is 100 disputes per month. A merchant will be enrolled in a program if their dispute ratio is over 0.9% AND they’ve had at least 100 chargebacks in a given month. (But if, let’s say, the count was only 90, the merchant wouldn’t be enrolled — even if the ratio was over the limit.)

With the new VAMP, acquirers and merchants won’t technically be added to the program until they’ve received at least 1,000 cases (disputes + TC40s) in a month.

However, we aren’t sure if acquirers will actually use minimums as part of their monitoring efforts or if penalties (fees) will solely be based on the VAMP ratio.

There are a couple reasons why this is still an unknown. Check our VAMP blog article if you’d like to learn more about how penalties will likely be assessed. https://www.altopay.com/vamp-visas-new-fraud-chargeback-monitoring-program/

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Do you have questions about VAMP? Let us know. We’re happy to help!

12/11/2024

The million dollar question: will acquirers be more risk averse once VAMP goes live?

That’s a very good question. One that we’ve been asked a lot.

You would think that there would be some sort of change just because acquirers now have to monitor and manage this new metric.

But many acquirers have built their business largely on card-not-present merchants. That’s how they make the majority of their income. So we believe they will find a way to manage VAMP, and hopefully maintain as close to their current risk tolerance as possible.

In some cases, it may be that the risk tolerance actually becomes better because merchants have been given tools to manage their VAMP ratios (alerts, RDR, etc.).

Bottom line: risk management going to be based on each acquirer and how they interpret the new policy. So we recommend you talk with your acquirer. Find out how they’re feeling about VAMP, and what they think is going to happen.

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Worried about how VAMP will impact your business? Reach out to the team at AltoPay. We can help you set up a strategy and prepare as much as possible.

12/05/2024

Do you need a new merchant account? Here are 1️⃣8️⃣ questions to ask as you hunt for the right account and solution provider.

1. Do you have experience managing payments in my target market?

2. Do you have experience with my industry?

3. Do you offer more than just a merchant account — like chargeback prevention alerts?

4. Do you have your own payment gateway? If so, is it integrated with my CRM already?

5. What kind of customer service and support is available? What hours is your team available?

6. Do you offer routine and proactive consultations to help optimize my ROI?

7. Can you also help me with alternative payment methods?

8. What kind of risk reporting is included? Chargeback ratio? Fraud ratio? VAMP ratio?

9. What is your fee structure for transaction processing?

10. How much are chargeback fees?

11. Is there a setup fee?

12. Is there a cancellation fee?

13. How long will my contract be?

14. Is there a transaction or volume minimum or maximum per month?

15. Will the account have a reserve? How much? Which type?

16. What is the average approval rate for other businesses in your region and industry?

17. Do you have any case studies or client testimonials?

18. How soon can I get up and running?

11/26/2024

Card testing is a big deal — especially since Visa’s upcoming fraud and chargeback monitoring program (VAMP) includes an “enumeration” ratio.

So let’s look at 4️⃣ things:
* An explanation of card testing
* Susceptible businesses
* Warning signs
* Impact on VAMP

1️⃣ WHAT IS CARD TESTING?

Card testing is a technique fraudsters use to determine if stolen or hacked payment information is still valid. They typically make small test purchases, hoping the seemingly innocent transactions won’t be flagged as suspicious. If the payment information is still good, the fraudster will use it to make larger purchases or sell it to other fraudsters.

2️⃣ WHICH BUSINESSES ARE SUSCEPTIBLE TO CARD TESTING?

The following businesses are easy targets for card testing.

🎯 Businesses that regularly process low-amount transactions — It will be challenging to differentiate between legitimate purchases and fraud.

🎯 Businesses that offer mobile apps — Adding a card to a wallet might trigger an authorization attempt, meaning the fraudster doesn’t have to make an actual purchase.

🎯 Businesses that are small or new — Without proper fraud detection technology, it could be difficult to detect and stop card testing.

🎯 Businesses that accept donations — Without a fixed transaction amount, fraudsters have more freedom.

3️⃣ WHAT ARE THE WARNING SIGNS FOR CARD TESTING?

🚨 Lots of low-amount transactions
🚨 Several declined transactions in a short time period
🚨 Multiple purchases from a single IP address

Which can lead to…

💣 High decline rates
💣 High chargeback ratios
💣 High fraud ratios

4️⃣ WHAT'S THE CORRELATION BETWEEN VAMP AND CARD TESTING?

The VAMP announcement includes an enumeration (card testing) ratio.

VAMP enumeration ratio 🟰 number of monthly confirmed enumerated transactions ➗ monthly settled transactions

It also includes a threshold for enumeration ratio: >= 20%

However, at this point, that’s about all we know. Visa hasn't disclosed how the ratio or threshold will impact VAMP enrollment.

But there is something we DO know. Card testing — with or without VAMP — can have a significant impact on your bottom line. If you’ve ever experienced a card testing attack or think your business is susceptible, now is the perfect time to ramp up your fraud detection strategy.

Let us know if you’d like help figuring out what that strategy should look like.

11/20/2024

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

❓❓ Can a TC-40 occur when a Visa transaction was authenticated with 3D Secure? 🤔 🤔

Yes, it can and does.

The process for issuers to file a TC-40 case vs. a dispute is separate and distinct.

An issuer can file a TC-40 case even if they choose not to file the dispute — or if they can’t file the dispute due to 3DS liability shift.

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Do you have questions about VAMP? Send them our way!

Address

Miami, FL

Telephone

+13056728363

Website

https://www.altopay.com/

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Our Story

Alto Global Processing is a leading provider of merchant services for internet and e-commerce businesses. The company has formed direct acquiring relationships with merchant banks in nearly every continent of the world to service the broad scope of online industries and maximize merchant profitability. By pairing merchants with strategic acquiring partners based, in part, on industry, risk factors, geography and target market, Alto has been able to increase merchant revenue and reduce overall processing costs for our clients. Perhaps Alto’s most valuable asset is founded on the versatility of its team members. The management team has been strategically selected and premised on areas of expertise. In turn, Alto has collectively created an operational team that has decades of combined experience in the technical, banking and merchant space. Alto also offers a variety of value added products. The company has developed its proprietary payment gateway technology to securely transmit the transactional data directly from merchant to acquirer, and is integrated with nearly every commonly used CRM. Alto also works with Alternative Payment Networks to maximize merchant revenue in regions of the world where credit / debit cards are not the primary form of payment. Additionally, Alto Global Processing has created the AltoShield product suite of industry leading risk management and chargeback prevention tools to help merchants worry less about risk, fraud and chargebacks, and more about increasing their bottom line!