From 1 October 2026, the Visa, Mastercard, American Express and eftpos card networks will introduce ‘no surcharge’ rules for businesses that accept payments made using prepaid, debit and credit cards from each network. This change is being introduced in line with policy reforms announced by the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA).
Simply put, from 1 October, Members who currently charge customers a surcharge for these payment types will no longer be able to do this.
Businesses can review their pricing, update customer-facing materials and speak with their payment service provider about changes to payment terminals or systems. It’s important to keep in mind that the ‘no surcharge’ rules will be set by each card network through its scheme rules and merchant contracts. The card networks or payment service providers will be responsible for enforcing these rules, not the ACCC.
Your business must continue to comply with existing obligations under the Australian Consumer Law when displaying and communicating prices after card payment surcharges are removed.
Members should prepare their business for the change by:
Checking where you apply card surcharges: Review your EFTPOS terminals, point-of-sale systems, invoicing software, online payment platforms and other payment systems.
Understanding your card payment costs: Review your transaction volumes, merchant fees and other payment-related costs.
Contacting your merchant service provider: Ask what changes you need to make and when you need to make them. Now is a great time to compare services and fees from other providers.
Review your pricing: Review your pricing and business costs to understand the impact of the changes.
Update and test your systems: Make the required changes and test them on or before 1 October.
Prepare your team: Make sure they understand the changes and can explain them clearly to your clients and customers.
Before 1 October 2026:
Remove card surcharge information from menus, websites, booking systems, invoices and other customer-facing materials.
Update displayed prices where necessary.
Train your team so they can answer customer questions.
Check that information is consistent across your physical and online channels.
If you change the price of a product or service for a particular reason, be clear and do not mislead consumers about the reason for the increase.
There is a good set of FAQ’s which cover common questions: click here.
You can contact your payment service provider or check the relevant card network rules to find out how the rules will apply to your business. Information from Mastercard, visa and eftpos is available at cardsurcharge.com.au.
For more information about the removal of card surcharging, you can visit the Reserve Bank of Australia’s website.
The ACCC has more information about card surcharges under Australian Consumer Law: click here.
The Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman has guidance to help small businesses prepare for the transition: click here.