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2 clusters · 6 sources · 7 days · First seen · Last updated

Australia card surcharging ban

Overview

The Reserve Bank of Australia has announced a ban on card surcharging for eftpos, Mastercard, and Visa networks, effective 1 October 2026. The decision follows a determination that previous regulations no longer effectively encourage cheaper payment methods. American Express has also voluntarily agreed to remove surcharging options by the same date. The ban applies to debit, credit, and commercial cards, though it excludes services like PayPal, BPAY, and buy-now-pay-later.

To assist businesses, the Reserve Bank intends to lower the cap on interchange fees. In response to the upcoming regulation, the Commonwealth Bank of Australia announced it will reduce its merchant service fee for in-store payments from 1.1% to 0.99% on 1 October.

As businesses prepare for the transition, legal experts suggest reviewing all payment points, including online checkouts and invoices, to manage costs through price adjustments or fee renegotiations. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission will monitor the situation to ensure businesses do not disguise surcharges as other fees.

Entities

Reserve Bank of Australia · Visa · Mastercard · Australian Competition and Consumer Commission · Legal Vision

Timeline

  1. 5 days ago

    [BUSINESS] 4 sources
    Australia card surcharge ban prompts business preparations

    Australian businesses face an October 1 ban on card surcharges. In response, CBA is reducing merchant service fees to 0.99% to help companies manage rising payment costs.

  2. 11 days ago

    [BUSINESS] 3 sources
    Australia to ban card surcharging from October 2026

    From 1 October 2026, Australian businesses will be banned from surcharging card payments via Visa, Mastercard, and eftpos, following a regulatory shift by the Reserve Bank of Australia.

Sources

asianbankingandfinance.net · ausbanking.org.au · insidesmallbusiness.com.au · niba.com.au · smartcompany.com.au · thesenior.com.au