Mastercard
Mastercard
Learn about Mastercard program, chargeback ratio, and compliance requirements

Mastercard has the Mastercard Acquirer Chargeback Monitoring Program (ACMP), which includes two tiers:

  • Excessive Chargeback Merchant (ECM)
  • High Excessive Chargeback Merchant (HECM)

The placement in either of these tiers depends on the total number of chargebacks received in a month and the ratio of chargebacks to revenue in that month. Merchants are notified if their business falls under this program.

Mastercard uses the merchant account ID to identify merchants. Each month, they review all merchant accounts that surpass certain threshold limits. The chargeback ratio is measured in basis points, which Mastercard uses to determine the appropriate program tier for the business.

The calculation of basis points is as follows:

Mastercard Basis Points formula

Where:

  • Chargebacks in Month: number of chargebacks recorded in the current month
  • Mastercard Transactions in Previous Month: number of Mastercard transactions from the preceding month
  • 10,000: converts the rate to chargebacks per 10,000 transactions for comparison

For example, if you had 185 chargebacks in February and processed 7,500 payments in January, your chargeback ratio would be 247 basis points. The formula is 185 / 7,500 × 10,000 = 246.66, rounded up to 247. This ratio would place your business in the Excessive Chargeback Merchant (ECM) program tier.

Mastercard disqualifies you from the program if your disputes remain below the ECM thresholds for three consecutive months.

ECM

The ECM program, established by Mastercard, is crafted to streamline enforcement and handle quicker interactions between acquirers and card networks. Its primary objective is to enhance the accuracy and accountability of the merchant compliance process. As a chargeback control initiative, the ECM program focuses on monitoring e-commerce merchants to curb excessive chargebacks within the Mastercard network.

The ECM program keeps chargeback levels within acceptable limits. It monitors merchant activity and imposes fines for non-compliance. This preserves the Mastercard network’s integrity and encourages better transaction and dispute management.

  • A count of at least 100 to 299 chargebacks, and
  • A chargeback-to-transaction ratio (CTR) = 1.5% to 2.99%
Metrics / Months1234-67-1112-1819+
Fine0 USD1,000 USD2,000 USD5,000 USD25,000 USD50,000 USD100,000 USD
Issuer Recovery AssessmentNoNoNoYesYesYesYes
  • A count of at least 300 chargebacks, and
  • A chargeback-to-transaction ratio (CTR) => 3%
Metrics / Months1234-67-1112-1819+
Fine0 USD1,000 USD2,000 USD10,000 USD50,000 USD100,000 USD200,000 USD
Issuer Recovery AssessmentNoNoNoYesYesYesYes

EFM

The EFM program by Mastercard streamlines enforcement and accelerates interactions between acquirers and the card network, aiming to enhance merchant compliance accuracy and accountability.

In this program, only chargebacks under the reason code ‘4837 - No Cardholder Authorization’ contribute to the thresholds. Additionally, the EFM Counter Logic limits the count to the first 15 fraudulent chargebacks from the same account number (PAN).
  • 1,000 or more e-commerce transactions and
  • The total dollar amount (or local currency equivalent) of fraud-related chargebacks in a given month equals or exceeds USD 50,000, and
  • The total number of fraud chargeback basis points is equal or more than 50, and
  • The percentage of monthly clearing volume processed using 3DS (including Data Only transactions) or Digital Secure Remote Payment (DSRP) is less than 10 percent in non-regulated countries or less than 50 percent in regulated countries
Metrics / Months1234-67-1112-1819+
Fine0 USD500 USD1,000 USD5,000 USD25,000 USD50,000 USD100,000 USD

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