Australia's Card Surcharge Ban: 1 October 2026

By the Aussie Credit Guide editorial team · Reviewed 5 October 2026

From 1 October 2026, businesses in Australia are no longer meant to add a surcharge when you pay with an eftpos, Mastercard or Visa card. Here is what the Reserve Bank decided and what it changes for cardholders.

What was decided

After a review of card payment costs, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) concluded that it is in the public interest to remove surcharging on the card networks it regulates, from 1 October 2026. Those networks are:

• eftpos (debit and prepaid cards)
• Mastercard (credit, debit and prepaid cards)
• Visa (credit, debit and prepaid cards)

How the change works

Since 2003 the RBA had stopped card networks from banning surcharges. It has now removed that rule, which allows the networks to enforce “no-surcharge” rules on the businesses that accept their cards. The RBA says any exemptions are a decision for each card network.

American Express and other cards

American Express isn’t formally regulated by the RBA in the same way. The RBA’s published questions and answers say American Express is also removing surcharging. If you use a card outside the three regulated networks, check with the card provider.

What it means when you pay

• The price displayed should be the price you pay on these cards, whether you tap, insert or pay online.
• Businesses still pay fees to accept cards. They can build that cost into their prices, as they do with other costs.
• If a surcharge is added to an eftpos, Mastercard or Visa payment, you can raise it with the business, and report it to your card provider.

The other half of the reform: interchange

At the same time, the RBA lowered the caps on interchange fees, which are paid by the business’s bank to the cardholder’s bank on each transaction. From 1 October 2026:

• Interchange on consumer credit cards is capped at 0.3% of the transaction value.
• Interchange on debit and prepaid cards is capped at 8 cents plus 0.16%.
• A 1.0% cap on foreign-issued cards follows from 1 April 2027.

Could it affect rewards cards?

Interchange revenue is one of the things that funds rewards programs. With a lower cap on consumer credit cards, providers may revise points earn rates, caps or annual fees. Providers must give notice of changes to a card’s terms, so it is worth reading notices from your provider. See are rewards worth it.

Source: Reserve Bank of Australia, Review of Merchant Card Payment Costs and Surcharging, conclusions paper and questions and answers, March 2026.

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