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It varies by business and provider, but American Express generally costs more to accept than Visa or Mastercard. RBA data reported by money.com.au put the average merchant fee on an Amex transaction at 1.35% across September to December 2024. Your own rate depends on your provider, pricing plan, industry and card mix, so the figure that matters is the Amex line on your merchant statement. American Express is not covered by the RBA surcharging changes, so confirm your current Amex pricing and surcharge position with your payment provider.
Last updated: 2 July 2026
The most useful reference point is the RBA payments data. RBA figures reported by money.com.au put the average merchant fee on an American Express transaction at 1.35% across September to December 2024. For comparison, money.com.au reports the Australian Government card payment fee at 1.45% for American Express versus 0.80% for Visa and Mastercard, which illustrates how much wider the Amex gap can be. Averages are a guide only; a small café and a large retailer on different plans can pay quite different Amex rates.
Your Amex cost depends on your payment provider and pricing model, your industry, your average transaction size, your monthly volume and your card mix. Some providers price Amex separately from Visa and Mastercard, some bundle it, and a few do not support in-house Amex acceptance at all. Because of that spread, costs vary by business and provider, and the only reliable figure is the American Express line on your own merchant statement. If you cannot see it broken out, your provider can tell you what your Amex acceptance costs.
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From 1 October 2026 surcharging on eftpos, Mastercard and Visa will no longer be permitted, so the cost of those cards moves onto your margin. American Express is not covered by that RBA change, though providers including Tyro and Eway have said they will remove Amex surcharging on 1 October 2026, and Eway reports American Express has announced its own change from that date, so confirm the Amex position with your payment provider. When you can no longer recover card costs at the till, your rate is the lever that is left. A comparison across every card type you accept, including American Express, is the practical way to lower what you pay, with MerchantRates partner rates as low as 0.89% for businesses that qualify.
Sources: RBA Conclusions Paper media release (mr-26-10) · ACCC card surcharges guidance · Eway: RBA reform response · Tyro: surcharge ban confirmed · RBA payments data (merchant fees) · RBA data reported by money.com.au · RBA data reported by finder.com.au.
Information current as at 2 July 2026.
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