The Payments Edge

Mastercard Excessive Chargeback Program: ECM, HECM Thresholds and How to Exit

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 06:49:20 +0000

Two networks, two numbers, and they no longer move together. What ECP measures, what it costs, and how to get out.

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SCREEN Act Hits Markup. Its Scope Test Catches More Than Adult Sites.

Wed, 05 Aug 2026 06:41:25 +0000

A federal age verification bill just cleared a Senate committee vote, then tripped on attendance rules. The part that should worry merchants is who counts as a covered platform.

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Processing Is Not Participation. Advising the Merchant Might Be.

Tue, 04 Aug 2026 11:02:47 +0000

A federal judge has separated the payments conduct that carries liability from the conduct that does not. Four allegations against Visa failed. One did not.

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Chargeback Ratio Early Warning Signs: What Moves Before Your Number Does

Tue, 04 Aug 2026 07:00:00 +0000

By the time your ratio moves, the traffic that caused it was sold months ago. Six signals shift first, and every one of them is measurable weekly.

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Mastercard Enters Creator Economy Payouts. A Prohibited List Decides Who Gets In

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 07:58:10 +0000

Mastercard just put its brand on creator payouts. The sponsor bank behind the programme, not the network, decides which creators ever get paid through it.

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Visa VAMP: The Complete Guide to Thresholds, Ratio Math and Enforcement

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 07:00:00 +0000

One ratio now decides how Visa sees you. Here is how the VAMP number is built, where every threshold sits, and how to keep your count down.

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BRAM Violation vs the MATCH List: One Is the Offense, the Other Is the Record

Wed, 29 Jul 2026 07:00:00 +0000

Merchants confuse a BRAM violation with a MATCH listing constantly. One is Mastercard's offense, the other is the five year record. Know which you are fighting.

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Mastercard’s SMMP 72 Hour Rule Is Live: The Clock Now Starts at Your Acquirer

Tue, 28 Jul 2026 07:00:00 +0000

The threshold everyone memorised is not the part that bites. Since 24 July, your acquirer has been working against a clock of its own.

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How to Dispute a Chargeback: The High-Risk Merchant’s Representment Playbook

Tue, 28 Jul 2026 07:00:00 +0000

Most merchants lose disputes on procedure, not merit. Here is the representment playbook that recovers your revenue without wrecking your ratio.

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Dating Merchant Accounts in 2026: Why You Get Declined and Who Approves You

Fri, 24 Jul 2026 07:00:00 +0000

Your dating app is legal, clean, and still getting declined. The reason sits in a four digit code, and the fix starts before you apply.

The post Dating Merchant Accounts in 2026: Why You Get Declined and Who Approves You appeared first on The Payments Edge.