RBA Confirmed: 72 days until card surcharges are banned. Check you're on the right rate →
The RBA surcharge ban is now in effect. Check you're on the right rate →
It is the question every business owner asks about the 2026 reforms, and the honest answer has two halves. The surcharge change is about who pays the card cost at the checkout: from 1 October 2026 you can no longer pass the cost of eftpos, Mastercard and Visa to customers via a surcharge, so it sits with you. Separately, the RBA is cutting interchange fees, which should reduce the underlying cost of acceptance — especially for small businesses.
Last updated: 2 July 2026
Put together, even if your headline rate barely moves, its impact on your margin changes the moment surcharging is removed. And there is genuine scope for the cost itself to fall. This page separates what is changing from what is not, so you can plan clearly. For the official detail, refer to the RBA at rba.gov.au.
The surcharge reform changes how the card cost is recovered, not whether the cost exists. Today a business can add a small percentage at the checkout so the customer covers the card fee. From 1 October 2026, for eftpos, Mastercard and Visa, that surcharge is removed, so the cost stays with the business unless it is built into headline prices.
Note the position on the non-designated networks: American Express and PayPal are not covered by the RBA regulation. PayPal surcharging within your cost of acceptance can continue on that basis, while for American Express, providers including Tyro and Eway have said they will remove Amex surcharging on 1 October 2026, and Eway reports Amex has announced its own change from that date, so confirm the Amex position with your provider. But for the everyday networks most customers use, the card fee simply becomes a cost you carry — which is exactly why your blended rate becomes so important.
This is the genuinely good news. The RBA is reducing the caps on domestic debit and credit interchange fees from 1 October 2026, and on foreign-issued cards from 1 April 2027. Interchange is a core component of merchant service fees, so lower caps are expected to make accepting cards cheaper — the RBA has pointed to small businesses as likely beneficiaries.
Alongside this, card networks and large providers will be required to publish their fees, making it easier to compare and switch. The RBA estimates the overall package could save consumers and businesses up to around $1.8 billion a year. The effect on any single business varies by card mix and provider, so treat lower fees as likely rather than guaranteed, and let your own statements be the source of truth.
From 1 October you can't pass card fees on to customers. A lower rate is the only lever left.
Put the two halves together. Whether or not your headline fee moves, removing the surcharge means that fee now comes straight off your margin on every eftpos, Mastercard and Visa sale. A business on a sharp rate barely notices; a business on a high rate feels every basis point.
That is the real opportunity in 2026: with surcharging gone, interchange falling and fees becoming more transparent, it is the ideal moment to make sure you are not overpaying. Our calculator turns your rate into an estimated annual cost, and a free comparison shows exactly where you stand.
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.
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