Data

Every number we use, and where it comes from.

The figures on this site come from card-network research, the leading merchant association, and independent fraud studies. Reported figures and projections are labeled as such. None of them is ChargeSecured's own claim.

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Global chargebacks in 2025
261M
Estimate · Mastercard & Datos Insights, 2025
Combined cost of one chargeback, before the reversed sale
$128
Reported · Mastercard, 2025
Merchants reporting rising first-party misuse
64%
Survey · Merchant Risk Council, 2026
Consumers who disputed a charge they later admitted was legitimate
48%
Survey · Mastercard & Datos Insights, 2025
Global card-fraud losses in 2024
$33.4B
Reported · Nilson Report, issue 1298

Chargebacks are growing faster than card transactions.

Global chargeback volume, 2025 estimate against the 2028 projection. Growth of 24% over three years, ahead of transaction growth.
Reported estimateProjection
Source · Mastercard & Datos Insights, 2025 Global Chargebacks Outlook. The 2028 figure is a projection, not a result.

What one chargeback costs, before the sale itself.

Average internal cost, third-party fees, and the combined figure. The reversed sale and the goods already delivered come on top.
Sources · Mastercard & Javelin, Chargebacks: the case for coordination, 2026 ($82, $46). Mastercard, True cost of a chargeback, 2025 ($128). Merchants above $1B in revenue report $151.88 internal cost per case (Mastercard & Datos, 2025).

Average chargeback amount by industry.

The reversed sale alone. Add the combined cost above to get the loss per dispute in your category.
U.S. average, all industriesBy category
Source · Mastercard & Datos Insights, 2025 State of Chargebacks.

First-party misuse is now the dominant fraud vector.

Share of fraud losses attributed to first-party misuse, three years apart.
Source · LexisNexis Risk Solutions, True cost of fraud study, 2025.
~50%
of chargebacks are reported as fraudulent, and a growing share of that is first-party misuse, not stolen cards.
Mastercard, 2025
~20%
of all disputes are attributable to first-party misuse, according to merchants and issuers.
Mastercard & Javelin, 2025
64%
of merchants report rising first-party misuse. A quarter of them report increases of 25% or more.
Merchant Risk Council, 2026 · 1,278 merchants, 37 countries
48%
of consumers have disputed a charge they later realized was legitimate.
Mastercard & Datos Insights, 2025

The scale of the landscape every merchant sits in.

Reported figures from network and industry filings

$14.2TVisa payments volume in fiscal 2025, across 257.5 billion processed transactions.Visa Inc., fiscal 2025 annual report
$11.46TPurchase volume on U.S.-issued global-brand cards in 2025.Nilson Report
37M+Card-accepting merchant locations in the United States. Every one exposed.Nilson Report, 2026
5×Roughly five times more fraud on online purchases than in store.Lisa Ellis, MoffettNathanson
How the homepage story is computed

A simulation, anchored to published costs.

The animation on the homepage is illustrative. Its numbers are computed live from what is on screen, using the figures on this page, so the picture and the caption never disagree.

How the estimator sets a band

Four inputs, three bands.

The pricing estimator scores a merchant from category, ticket size against the category median, dispute rate, and channel. The assessment confirms the band against actual processing history.

Standard · 0 to 34Elevated · 35 to 59High · 60 to 100
exposure = disputes per year × ($128 + average ticket)
staff hours = disputes per year × $82 ÷ $40 per hour

Both cost inputs are the Mastercard and Javelin figures above. The blended hourly rate is an assumption you can change at assessment.

Sources.

Every statistic on this site is drawn from these primary sources. No secondary aggregators, marketing blogs, or vendor whitepapers are used. Cross-referenced August 2026.
  1. LexisNexis Risk Solutions (2025). True cost of fraud study: retail and e-commerce edition.First-party misuse share of fraud losses, 15% to 36%.risk.lexisnexis.com/insights-resources/research/true-cost-of-fraud-study
  2. Mastercard (2024, January 22). First-party fraud: why is it so hard to tackle? With Javelin Strategy & Research.First-party share of disputes.mastercard.com/us/en/news-and-trends/insights/2024/first-party-fraud-why-is-it-so-hard-to-tackle.html
  3. Mastercard (2025). 2025 global chargebacks outlook. Research conducted with Datos Insights.261 million chargebacks in 2025, 324 million projected by 2028; consumer dispute behavior; average amounts by industry.mastercard.com/global/en/news-and-trends/insights/2025/2025-global-chargebacks-outlook.html
  4. Mastercard (2025). What's the true cost of a chargeback in 2025? Underlying figures from Mastercard and Javelin, Chargebacks: the case for coordination, 2026.$82 internal, $46 fees, $128 combined.mastercard.com/us/en/news-and-trends/insights/2025/what-s-the-true-cost-of-a-chargeback-in-2025.html
  5. Mastercard (2025, June 25). Scaling efforts to combat friendly fraud: first-party trust. Press release.Share of chargebacks reported as fraudulent.mastercard.com/us/en/news-and-trends/press/2025/june/first-party-trust-countering-friendly-fraud.html
  6. Merchant Risk Council (2026, March 18). 2026 global eCommerce payments and fraud report. Survey of 1,278 merchant professionals across 37 countries.64% report rising first-party misuse.merchantriskcouncil.org/resource-center/reports/2026-global-ecommerce-payments-and-fraud-report
  7. Nilson Report (2025, December). Card fraud losses worldwide, 2024. Issue 1298.$33.4 billion in global card-fraud losses; U.S. card purchase volume; merchant locations.nilsonreport.com/articles/card-fraud-losses-worldwide-2024/
  8. Visa Inc. (2025). Fiscal 2025 annual report.$14.2 trillion payments volume, 257.5 billion processed transactions.annualreport.visa.com/home/default.aspx

Bring your own numbers. We'll show you where they land.

Schedule a demoSee the pricing estimator

Charge Secured LLC is not a bank, payment processor, insurer, or law firm. Chargeback outcomes are determined by card issuers and networks. Figures on this page are reported by the cited sources; projections are labeled as such and should be re-verified before reuse.