ECM

The first tier of Mastercard's Excessive Chargeback Program. Triggered at 1.5% chargeback ratio and 100+ chargebacks per month. Imposes escalating monthly fees on the acquirer (usually passed to the merchant) and requires a documented remediation plan.

In practice.

Landing in Mastercard ECM status puts a merchant on a formal remediation clock with escalating fines passed through by the acquirer. Repeated months in the program is one of the most common reasons acquirers terminate and MATCH-list a merchant, so treat early-warning months as urgent.

Related terms: ECP · HECM · Chargeback ratio · MATCH