Step 2 of 5 · At the checkout
Card surcharges at an online checkout
From 1 October 2026, the ACCC says, “businesses can no longer charge a surcharge for payments made using Visa, Mastercard, American Express or eftpos credit, debit or prepaid cards”, so an online checkout can’t add one either unless an exception applies. The Reserve Bank says the new rules will generally apply to all credit, debit and prepaid cards on the eftpos, Mastercard and Visa networks, including cards issued overseas.
General information. This is general information, not legal or financial advice. The official places to check are the Reserve Bank’s questions and answers on the change and the ACCC’s card surcharges page, both linked at the foot of this page, and your payment service provider for your own contract.
Where the rule comes from
The ban works through the card networks’ own rules. The Reserve Bank of Australia announced the change on 31 March 2026. It decided that ending surcharging on the three designated card networks, eftpos, Mastercard and Visa, from 1 October 2026 was in the public interest, and lifted its own prohibition on ‘no surcharge’ rules, which lets those networks ban surcharges on their credit, debit and prepaid cards. Each of the three then decided to introduce ‘no surcharge’ rules from that date.
That shapes who enforces it. The RBA does not directly regulate merchants; the card networks are ultimately responsible for compliance with their rules. The old rules against excessive surcharges, which the ACCC enforced, ended on 1 October 2026.
| Network | Before 1 October 2026 | From 1 October 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| eftpos (debit and prepaid) | Surcharging permitted | Not permitted |
| Mastercard (credit, debit and prepaid) | Surcharging permitted | Not permitted |
| Visa (credit, debit and prepaid) | Surcharging permitted | Not permitted |
| American Express (credit) | Surcharging permitted | Not permitted |
| PayPal | Surcharging permitted | Not permitted; PayPal’s rule takes effect from 5 October 2026 |
| UnionPay | Surcharging permitted | Not permitted |
American Express, UnionPay and PayPal are not currently subject to formal regulation by the RBA, but have also decided to remove surcharging.
What the checkout has to change
The RBA puts the duty plainly: “Merchants must remove surcharges to comply with the new card network rules from 1 October 2026, unless an exception applies.” Whether any exemption exists is a decision for each card network, not the RBA, and the RBA names the payment service provider as the best point of contact for help removing surcharges. The RBA’s answers settle four questions an online shop is likely to meet:
- Orders invoiced before the date. “If a card payment is made on or after 1 October 2026, surcharging may no longer be available even if the invoice was issued earlier.”
- Sales to other businesses. Card payments between businesses are not exempt unless a card network’s rules, or a law or regulation, provide an exemption.
- Not-for-profit shops. Not-for-profit organisations are not exempt either, on the same terms.
- Other ways to pay. The RBA does not currently regulate surcharges on non-card payment methods, and suggests consulting the payment service provider and the ACCC’s guidance on price displays.
What a shop can still do
Build the cost into prices
Card payments still cost a business money. The ACCC’s answer is that a business can recover that cost by building it into its overall pricing. Prices can still go up or down, but a business must not mislead consumers about prices, including the reasons for an increase.
Charge fees that aren’t about the card
The rules apply only to surcharges added because a customer pays by card. Booking fees and service fees are outside them, though the ACCC notes the Australian Consumer Law’s price display rules still apply to how those fees are shown. Fees a payment service provider charges the shop, such as for processing transactions, are fees for its services and are not payment surcharges. The ACCC adds a warning: calling a card surcharge by another name to get around the networks’ rules may be misleading conduct.
Offer a discount for another way to pay
Businesses that want to steer customers to other payment methods can offer discounts instead of surcharges. The ACCC sets two conditions: the discount should be clearly disclosed before the customer chooses to order or pay, and the price displayed must be the full price the customer pays without the discount.
Choose which methods to accept
Businesses are generally able to choose which payment methods they accept. The RBA suggests weighing customers’ payment needs and checking any requirements with the payment service provider first.
The dates still to come
The surcharge ban is one part of a wider package. Lower caps on interchange fees for domestic card transactions also apply from 1 October 2026, and the Reserve Bank’s view is that “Small businesses should benefit the most because they tend to pay fees closer to the existing caps.”
- 30 October 2026
Designated card networks and large acquirers must begin publishing specified information about card payment fees on their websites.
- 30 January 2027
Large acquirers must begin publishing how reductions in interchange fees have flowed through to merchant service fees.
- 1 April 2027
Interchange fee caps apply to foreign-issued card transactions acquired in Australia, and all acquirers must give their merchants more detailed statements.
When a customer thinks a surcharge has been applied wrongly, the RBA says they can tell the relevant card network, which they can find on their EFTPOS receipt. Misleading claims about prices are a matter for the ACCC and the state and territory consumer protection agencies.
Once the payment clears, the order may still have a border to cross. GST on imports and overseas sales is the next stop, and delivery times and late orders the one after.