Ask your Aspen advisor:
“If card surcharges disappear from 1 October 2026, what does that mean for our pricing, margins and payment systems?”
The Reserve Bank has confirmed that all card surcharges will be banned from 1 October 2026 across eftpos, Mastercard and Visa. That makes this one of the biggest payment changes Australian businesses have seen in years.
For customers, this should mean cleaner, simpler pricing. For businesses, it means there is some work to do between now and then.
What is changing
From 1 October 2026, businesses will no longer be able to add:
- a percentage surcharge
- a flat card fee
- or an automatic card add-on at checkout
At the same time, the broader reform package aims to reduce the underlying cost of accepting cards through lower interchange fees and greater fee transparency from providers. The source notes that merchant payment costs are expected to fall materially, with small businesses likely to see the biggest percentage savings.
Why this Matters
For businesses that have been passing card costs through to customers, this will affect:
- pricing models
- point-of-sale systems
- website checkout settings
- signage
- and potentially margins if those costs are not absorbed or re-priced sensibly
For businesses that never applied surcharges, the change should mostly feel like a win if the lower underlying fees flow through as intended.
What to do now
This is a good time to:
- review recent merchant fee statements
- work out whether card surcharges are supporting margins in a meaningful way
- speak to your payment provider about likely fee changes and updated plans
- check what your POS and online systems will need to change
- and think through whether you need to adjust pricing before October 2026
Final thought
This is ultimately a practical change. Less clutter at the checkout, simpler pricing for customers, and hopefully lower payment costs in the background.
The key is not to leave it until the last minute. A simple review now can help you decide whether this is mostly an admin update or whether it needs a broader pricing rethink.
