Payment surcharging is an extra fee added to a purchase when a customer pays by a particular method, usually a credit or debit card. For many years Australian businesses were allowed to charge one to recover what the card cost them to accept, up to that cost.
That has changed. The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) decided to remove card surcharging, with the ban applying from 1 October 2026 to eftpos, Mastercard and Visa debit, prepaid and credit cards, alongside lower domestic interchange caps. American Express and some other payment types are handled separately, and further changes follow later, so check the RBA's current guidance and your payment provider's notices.
In practice, a business should switch off any surcharge settings in its POS and payment terminals, update menus, signs and online checkouts, and check that receipts no longer show a card fee. Legal commentary warns that renaming a surcharge as an "admin fee" or "service fee" is not a safe workaround.
Most venues now recover card costs through their menu or shelf prices instead, and through better merchant fees. Lower interchange caps and least-cost routing may reduce what you pay, so review your merchant service fee statement and terms rather than assuming your rate has changed.
Surcharging matters because a fee left switched on after the ban can lead to customer complaints and regulatory attention from the ACCC. RetailCare can help review POS and RetailCarePAY terminal settings, while businesses remain responsible for confirming current rules.