22/09/2026
RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA (RBA)
The RBA has concluded that it is in the public interest to remove surcharging for all designated card networks (eftpos, Mastercard and Visa) from 1 October 2026. Designated card networks are subject to formal regulation by the RBA.
To implement this, the RBA has removed its prohibition on ‘no-surcharge’ rules with effect on and from that date.1 When effective, these changes will allow the designated card networks to impose a ban on surcharging for credit, debit and prepaid card payments on their networks.
Merchants typically deal with their acquirer or payments service provider. Card schemes set rules for these participants. The RBA does not directly regulate merchants.
What types of surcharges do these changes apply to?
The changes only apply to surcharges added because a customer pays by card. They do not apply to weekend surcharges, public holiday surcharges, or booking fees or service fees.
The changes apply to card payment surcharges on transactions on designated card networks (eftpos, Mastercard and Visa). A surcharge in the context of card payments is an extra fee charged by a merchant to a consumer for using a particular card to pay for a transaction.
Payment service providers set their own pricing for the card acquiring (or card acceptance) services they provide businesses. This may include fees for renting payment terminals, processing transactions or other payments-related offerings. These are fees for services provided and are not considered payment surcharges. The changes to remove card payment surcharging do not apply to these types of fees.
Which card networks will remove surcharging from 1 October 2026?
The three designated card networks, eftpos, Mastercard and Visa, have each decided to introduce ‘no-surcharge’ rules from 1 October 2026.