Card surcharges from 1 October: what you can still charge

From Thursday 1 October 2026, Australian businesses can no longer add a surcharge because a customer pays by card on the major networks. Our news story on the card surcharge ban covers the decision. This reference page covers which cards are in, where the rule comes from, and what you can still charge.

The short version: a fee added because the customer paid by card is out. A fee every customer pays however they pay, such as a Sunday surcharge, is not affected. You can build card costs into prices or discount cheaper payment methods.

Which cards are covered, and from when

The Reserve Bank’s FAQs on the removal of card surcharges list who has announced no-surcharge rules:

eftpos (debit and prepaid), Mastercard and Visa (credit, debit and prepaid): from 1 October 2026. The RBA says these rules “will generally apply on all credit, debit and prepaid cards of these networks, including internationally issued cards”.
American Express and UnionPay: from 1 October 2026. The industry body Australian Payments Network (AusPayNet) says JCB has also aligned from 1 October.
PayPal: from 5 October 2026. PayPal’s updated user agreement says “you must not impose a surcharge or any other fee for accepting PayPal as a payment method”.
Online, in-store and cards in mobile wallets: included for eftpos, Mastercard and Visa, per AusPayNet’s business FAQs.
Business cards and business customers: also covered. AusPayNet says the rules are expected to apply to commercial and corporate cards on those networks. It also says a business “cannot apply a surcharge simply because the payer is a business”.

Not settled: buy now, pay later (BNPL) services and Diners Club are not in the RBA’s list. The RBA’s current review of payments regulation notes “no-surcharge rules imposed by some BNPL providers”. Check those merchant agreements rather than assuming.

Law, network rules and what’s still proposed

Law: The RBA has changed its Standard so that, from 1 October, it no longer stops eftpos, Mastercard and Visa from banning surcharges. The RBA “does not directly regulate merchants”.

Network rules: The ban itself is in each network’s rules and your merchant agreement. The ACCC says the card networks or payment service providers enforce these rules, not the ACCC. Exemptions are “a decision for each card network, not the RBA”. Taxi fares stay with state and territory regulators.

Consumer law that still applies: The ACCC still enforces misleading pricing. It warns that calling a card surcharge something else “may be engaging in misleading conduct”.

Proposed or possible: The RBA’s conclusions paper says that if surcharging continues, “the Government could legislate a ban”. It is also reviewing American Express and BNPL settings in a separate review. Neither is law today.

What you can still charge

A service, booking or admin fee: yes, if it has nothing to do with how the customer pays. AusPayNet’s examples include “booking or service fees charged to all customers that apply independently of the payment method”. The ACCC’s guidance on the current rules says a service or handling fee “that only applies to some payment methods” is “probably a card payment surcharge by another name”. Its guidance on the 1 October changes says other fees such as service, booking and delivery fees are unaffected if they are “separate from paying by a particular card”. If the fee is unavoidable, the ACCC’s price display rules require it in the single total price you advertise.

A flat “card fee” or “card processing fee”: no primary source treats this as anything other than a card surcharge. AusPayNet defines a surcharge as “an additional fee, amount or charge applied by a business because a consumer pays by card”. No source we checked rules on a new all-customer fee introduced to replace a surcharge. The ACCC’s warnings on misleading reasons for price rises (below) are the closest guidance.

Weekend and public holiday surcharges: yes. The ACCC says: “Yes, hospitality businesses can continue to charge weekend and public holiday surcharges. These surcharges are not covered by the Reserve Bank of Australia’s rules.” Restaurants and cafés can leave these out of menu prices if they display “A surcharge of [percentage] applies on [day or days]”. That notice must be “at least as prominent as the most prominent price on the menu”.

A cash, PayID or bank transfer discount: yes. The RBA says businesses “can continue to offer discounts for particular payment methods”. The ACCC adds that the displayed price “must be the full price they will pay if they do not receive the payment method discount”. Don’t show only the discounted price, or make it more prominent than the full price.

Surcharges on bank transfer, PayID or BPAY: the RBA “does not currently regulate surcharges on non-card payment methods”. It points businesses to their provider and the ACCC’s price display guidance.

A minimum card spend: the ACCC’s guidance on the current rules says “Businesses are allowed to set a minimum amount for card payments”. The RBA and AusPayNet FAQs don’t address minimums after 1 October, so confirm with your provider. On our reading, a small-transaction fee such as the ACCC’s “10 cents surcharge for card payments under $10” example is a card surcharge, and is out on covered cards.

Stopping card payments: generally allowed, the RBA says, though some businesses must accept cash under industry codes.

Invoices, raising prices and B2B

Invoices: if a card payment is made on or after 1 October, the RBA says “surcharging may no longer be available even if the invoice was issued earlier”.

Illustrative example: an invoice issued on 22 September carries a card surcharge line, and the client pays by Visa on 6 October. On our reading of the RBA’s guidance, the surcharge should come off.

Raising prices: allowed. The ACCC’s example is a hair salon lifting a $60 cut to $65 partly because of energy and labour costs. The salon “must not tell consumers that the price increase is due to the changes to card payment surcharging”.

B2B: the RBA and AusPayNet say there is no business-to-business carve-out unless a network’s rules or a law or regulation provides one.

Terminals, websites, menus and receipts

The RBA says many providers “will remove surcharging functionality from payment terminals around 1 October 2026”. But AusPayNet says businesses are responsible for ensuring “their systems, processes and consumer disclosures comply”. A statement that still shows your “cost of acceptance” doesn’t mean you can surcharge it.

The small business ombudsman (ASBFEO) says to check terminals, point-of-sale systems, invoicing software and online payment platforms, and to remove surcharge information from menus, websites, booking systems and invoices. On our reading, that includes invoice templates, checkout text and any surcharge line on receipts.

What you get in return

From 1 October, the caps on interchange fees (the wholesale fees behind your card costs) fall:

Domestic consumer credit cards: 0.3 per cent.
Domestic debit and prepaid cards: 8 cents (or 0.16 per cent).

By 30 October, the card networks and large acquirers must start publishing fee data. By 30 January 2027, large acquirers must show how the cuts flowed through. From 1 April 2027, foreign-issued cards are capped at 1.0 per cent and merchant statements get more detail. The RBA’s advice is to review your plan and shop around.

If a business keeps surcharging

AusPayNet says businesses that continue “may be contacted by their payment service provider or bank to remove non-permitted surcharging and may be subject to penalties”. It does not specify the penalties. Separately, the ACCC can act on misleading prices, which consumers can report to it or to state and territory consumer agencies.

Checklist

Download checklist PDF

Sources 13 sources

Which cards are covered, and from when

Law, network rules and what’s still proposed

What you can still charge

Invoices, raising prices and B2B

Terminals, websites, menus and receipts

What you get in return

If a business keeps surcharging

Checklist

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