In Australia the picture is shaped by health-fund claiming. Many practices run HICAPS or similar terminals that let patients claim their rebate on the spot, then pay only the gap by card. Understanding how those claiming systems relate to your merchant acquiring arrangement, and how card fees stack up on big-ticket treatment, helps you choose terminals and surcharging settings that suit both your patients and your margins.
Why dental practices fees sit where they do
Blended cost depends heavily on what patients tap. Debit and eftpos transactions are typically the cheapest, standard Visa and Mastercard credit sit in the middle, and Amex or overseas cards are usually dearer. Practices with many large credit-funded treatment payments often land toward the higher end, while those weighted to small debit gap payments trend lower. Plan economics, terminal rental and whether you surcharge all influence the net figure, so treat any single percentage as indicative only.
What to look for in a provider
Dental practices are usually served by a combination of a health-fund claiming provider and a merchant acquirer, which may or may not be the same company. Bank-owned acquirers and integrated health-payment specialists both court allied-health clinics, and several offer terminals that combine on-the-spot fund claiming with card acceptance. Independent payment facilitators and newer terminal providers can suit practices that already have separate claiming arrangements and simply want competitive card processing. When comparing, weigh how claiming and acquiring are bundled, settlement timing, terminal rental and how surcharging is handled rather than focusing on a single headline rate.