RBA Confirmed: 72 days until card surcharges are banned. Check you're on the right rate →

Your questions, answered

Straight, plain-English answers to the questions Australian businesses actually ask about merchant fees and the 2026 RBA surcharge changes. Each answer leads with the bottom line, then explains the detail — and points you to the official RBA position where it matters.

The ban
Is the RBA surcharge ban actually law?
Whether the 2026 surcharge removal is legislation — and how it is really enforced.
Read the answer →
Is the card surcharge ban actually happening?
Confirmation the ban is real, settled and dated — not a rumour or proposal.
Read the answer →
When does the surcharge ban start in Australia?
The two key dates — 1 Oct 2026 and 1 Apr 2027 — and what each one brings.
Read the answer →
What happens if I surcharge after October 2026?
How the ban is actually enforced — and the real risk if you surcharge regardless.
Read the answer →
Can I still surcharge until October 2026?
What you can do in the run-up — and how to use the interim to prepare.
Read the answer →
What cards are covered by the surcharge ban?
Exactly which networks and card types are in — and which sit outside, for now.
Read the answer →
Why is the RBA banning surcharges?
The rationale behind the change — efficiency, fairness and clearer prices.
Read the answer →
How much will the surcharge ban save businesses?
The headline savings numbers — and the two big caveats behind them.
Read the answer →
Exceptions & edge cases
Can I still surcharge Amex after October 2026?
The RBA ban does not cover Amex, but providers and Amex’s own reported change mean Amex surcharging looks set to end anyway.
Read the answer →
Can I still surcharge PayPal after the ban?
Why PayPal sits outside the eftpos, Mastercard and Visa surcharge removal — for now.
Read the answer →
Does the ban apply to BNPL, Afterpay or Zip?
Where buy-now-pay-later sits relative to the eftpos, Mastercard and Visa surcharge removal.
Read the answer →
Are Apple Pay and Google Pay surcharges banned?
Why a wallet follows its underlying card — and the ban applies when that card is covered.
Read the answer →
Does the surcharge ban apply to online payments?
Why the surcharge removal follows the card network, not the sales channel.
Read the answer →
Does the ban apply to business or corporate cards?
Yes — business cards on Visa, Mastercard or eftpos are covered. But their fees may rise, not fall.
Read the answer →
Will business card fees go up after the reforms?
Why commercial-card costs can move the opposite way to consumer-card costs.
Read the answer →
Can I still offer a cash discount after the ban?
Why discounts for cash stay allowed while card surcharges are removed.
Read the answer →
Can I still charge a weekend or public holiday surcharge?
Why a holiday surcharge sits outside the card-surcharge removal.
Read the answer →
Can I call it an admin fee or service fee instead?
Why relabelling a card surcharge doesn’t escape the rule.
Read the answer →
Can I set a minimum card payment amount instead of surcharging?
Why a minimum spend is a different lever from a surcharge — with its own trade-offs.
Read the answer →
Costs & fees
Do I stop paying merchant fees after the surcharge ban?
Why the surcharge change moves who pays — not whether the fee exists.
Read the answer →
Will my merchant fees go down in 2026?
Why a fee fall depends on your provider passing the interchange cuts through.
Read the answer →
What is a good merchant rate in Australia?
How to judge a merchant rate against indicative benchmarks and your own card mix.
Read the answer →
What is the average merchant fee in Australia?
The indicative average card-acceptance costs and what makes them vary.
Read the answer →
What is least-cost routing and should I turn it on?
How routing dual-network debit to the cheaper network can lower acceptance cost.
Read the answer →
What are interchange fees?
The issuer’s slice of every card payment — and the part the RBA is capping in 2026.
Read the answer →
What is a merchant service fee?
The all-in price you pay to accept a card — and what’s bundled inside it.
Read the answer →
Interchange, scheme fees and merchant service fees — what’s the difference?
Three layers, three recipients — and why telling them apart changes how you read a rate.
Read the answer →
Flat-rate vs interchange-plus pricing — which is cheaper?
Simplicity versus transparency — and why the cheaper one depends on your card mix.
Read the answer →
What is cost of acceptance and how do I calculate mine?
Your true all-in card cost — and the number that limits what you can surcharge.
Read the answer →
Why are my merchant fees so high?
The handful of drivers that quietly inflate a rate — and how to spot them.
Read the answer →
What hidden fees are on my merchant statement?
The line items beyond the headline rate — and the 2027 transparency rules coming for them.
Read the answer →
What is a blended rate?
One average percentage for every card — convenient, but it hides the detail.
Read the answer →
Do I have to accept cards at all?
Card acceptance is generally a business decision — weighed against customer expectations.
Read the answer →
What’s the cheapest way to accept card payments in Australia?
There’s no single cheapest setup — but there are levers that reliably move the cost.
Read the answer →
Preparing for the ban
What do I need to do before October 2026?
A short checklist to get ready before card surcharging ends on covered cards.
Read the answer →
Do I have to change my prices when surcharging ends?
Whether the surcharge ban forces a price change — and the options if you don’t.
Read the answer →
Should I switch payment providers before the ban?
Why a competitive rate matters more once you can no longer surcharge.
Read the answer →
American Express
Why do businesses surcharge Amex more than Visa?
Why American Express usually carries a higher cost of acceptance, and so a higher surcharge, than Visa.
Read the answer →
How much does it cost a business to accept Amex in Australia?
What American Express typically costs a business to accept, and why your own number is the one that counts.
Read the answer →
What happens to Amex surcharges after 1 October 2026?
What actually changes for American Express surcharging on 1 October 2026, and why you should confirm it with your provider.
Read the answer →
Can a business refuse to accept Amex?
Whether a business can choose not to accept American Express, and the trade-offs of doing so.
Read the answer →
Amex vs Visa merchant fees: what is the real difference?
How American Express and Visa merchant fees compare, and why the gap exists.
Read the answer →
Does accepting Amex actually win you more customers?
Whether taking American Express brings in enough extra business to justify its cost.
Read the answer →
What are Amex companion cards and do the old rules still matter?
What an Amex companion card is, how it is processed, and why the network a card runs on affects your cost.
Read the answer →
Can you negotiate your Amex merchant rate?
Whether your American Express rate can be negotiated, and the practical ways to lower what you pay.
Read the answer →
These answers are general information only and are not legal or financial advice. The RBA sets the final rules and timing; confirm current details at rba.gov.au.

Ready to pay less?

Get a free, independent comparison across 20+ Australian payment providers. No obligation — and if we can't beat your rate, we'll pay you $100.

Get my free rate comparison