The RBA's 2026 surcharge changes

The short version

Today, many businesses add a surcharge at the checkout to recover the cost of accepting cards. From 1 October 2026, surcharging on eftpos, Mastercard and Visa (debit, credit and prepaid) will no longer be permitted — enforced through the card networks' scheme rules and your merchant agreement, not as a criminal law. American Express and PayPal are not covered, so you can still surcharge those within your cost of acceptance. The card fee itself doesn't disappear; it becomes a cost the business carries, which is why knowing and comparing your merchant rate matters more than ever.

There's an upside too: the RBA is lowering interchange fee caps (cheaper merchant fees, especially for small businesses) and requiring providers to publish their fees so they're easier to compare. Most changes start 1 October 2026; lower foreign-card interchange caps and further transparency measures follow on 1 April 2027. The reforms are estimated to save consumers and businesses up to around $1.8 billion a year. For the authoritative detail, see the RBA at rba.gov.au.