What cards are covered by the surcharge ban?

What’s covered

The ban applies to three networks: eftpos, Mastercard and Visa. Crucially, it reaches across all of their card types — debit, prepaid and credit alike — so it isn’t limited to credit cards. If a customer pays with an eftpos, Mastercard or Visa card of any of those kinds, you won’t be able to surcharge that payment from 1 October 2026.

What’s not covered — for now

Several payment types sit outside the ban. American Express cards issued directly by Amex, Diners Club, PayPal, BNPL services such as Afterpay and Zip, and mobile wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay are all excluded for now. That “for now” matters: the RBA has flagged a review of Amex, BNPL and wallets beginning mid-2026, so this perimeter could shift in future.

The Amex nuance

The RBA ban covers eftpos, Mastercard and Visa, and American Express is not covered by the RBA regulation, so on the RBA rules alone Amex sits outside the change. That is not the whole story, though. Providers including Tyro and Eway have said they will remove Amex surcharging on 1 October 2026, and Eway reports that American Express has separately announced its own surcharging will end from the same date. So most businesses should expect Amex surcharging to end alongside the covered networks. Confirm the Amex position with your payment provider before October.

Why this distinction matters

Knowing which cards are in and which are out shapes both compliance and pricing. PayPal is one you can still surcharge where it is compliant, within your cost of acceptance. American Express is more nuanced: it sits outside the RBA ban, but providers and Amex itself have reportedly moved to end Amex surcharging on 1 October 2026, so confirm the Amex position with your provider. Either way, do not try to recoup a covered-card cost by quietly loading it onto a card-only “admin” fee, as that is treated as a disguised surcharge. This is general information, not advice.

Sources: RBA Conclusions Paper media release (mr-26-10) · ACCC card surcharges guidance · Eway: RBA reform response · Tyro: surcharge ban confirmed.

Information current as at 2 July 2026.