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Does your business currently charge customers a fee for paying by card? If so, there is an important change you need to prepare for.
From 1 October 2026, new no-surcharge rules will come into effect across major card payment networks in Australia. In practical terms, businesses will generally no longer be able to add a separate surcharge simply because a customer chooses to pay by card.
If your business currently applies card surcharges, now is the time to review your pricing and payment systems.
What does this mean for your business?
Businesses will still have costs associated with accepting card payments. However, rather than adding a separate card surcharge at the point of payment, businesses can consider incorporating these costs into their overall pricing.
This means you may need to review:
- Your current pricing and margins
- Card processing and merchant fees
- EFTPOS and payment terminal settings
- Online payment and checkout systems
- Invoices and payment links
- Customer-facing pricing and signage
You don’t need to wait until October to act.
We recommend contacting your payment provider now to understand how the changes will affect your particular payment systems and whether any action is required from you.
Your quick checklist ✓
If you currently charge card surcharges:
-
- ✓ Contact your payment provider and confirm what is changing from 1 October.
- ✓ Review your card processing costs and understand what you’re currently paying.
- ✓ Review your pricing to determine whether payment-processing costs need to be incorporated into your normal prices.
- ✓ Check your systems – including EFTPOS terminals, online checkout, payment links and invoicing.
- ✓ Update customer-facing information so your prices are clear and accurate.
- ✓ Make sure your team knows about the change so customers receive consistent information.
What about other surcharges?
This change is specifically about card payment surcharges. It does not automatically remove legitimate charges such as weekend or public holiday surcharges, booking fees or delivery fees.
However, businesses should still make sure any other fees are clearly disclosed to customers and comply with applicable consumer and pricing laws. If you’re unsure whether a particular fee is affected, check the ACCC guidance or speak with your adviser.
Our advice: don’t leave it until September
For businesses currently using card surcharges, now is a good time to review how you recover your payment-processing costs and make sure your pricing and systems are ready for the change.
A few simple steps now can make the transition much smoother:
- Speak with your payment provider about what is changing.
- Review your current card processing costs.
- Consider whether your pricing needs to be updated.
- Check your EFTPOS and online payment systems.
- Make sure your customers and staff will see consistent, clear pricing from 1 October.
If you’re unsure how the changes may affect your business or pricing, we’re happy to help you work through the accounting and pricing considerations.
Useful links
For the full details and the latest guidance, we recommend referring directly to the official sources:
ACCC – Card surcharges
Detailed guidance for businesses on card surcharges, pricing and the changes taking effect from 1 October 2026 >> ACCC – Card surcharges
Reserve Bank of Australia – Card payment surcharge changes
Further information about the regulatory changes and what they mean for businesses >>RBA – Card payment surcharge changes
🗓️ Key date to remember: 1 October 2026.