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Australia's surcharge rules are changing.

Here's what that means for our software platform partners.

Updated on 29 September 2026

From 1 October 2026, businesses in Australia will no longer be permitted to apply a surcharge to Visa, Mastercard, eftpos or American Express (Amex) card payments.

What this means for software partners

As merchants prepare for these changes, they're likely to have questions about payment pricing, surcharging and what the reforms mean for their business.

Software partners don't need to become payment pricing specialists, but they do need enough understanding to guide conversations with confidence and know where to direct merchants for further information.

This Resource Centre brings together the latest approved messaging, FAQs and educational resources to help you support your merchants before and after the reforms take effect.

The two dates partners need to understand

DateWhat changesWho is affected
1 July 2026Newly onboarded merchants are no longer supported to apply card surcharging through Global Payments for Platform. This change is reflected in our systems.New merchant applications and partner onboarding, sales, marketing and customer communications.
1 October 2026Businesses in Australia will no longer be permitted to apply a surcharge to Visa, Mastercard or eftpos card payments. Amex has separately announced the same outcome from this date.Existing merchants who currently surcharge, software experiences, merchant communications and support processes.

What should partners tell merchants today?

Focus on these messages:

  • Newly onboarded merchants have not been supported to apply card surcharging since 1 July 2026.
  • Payment fees aren't disappearing. Businesses will continue to incur payment processing costs when customers pay by card.
  • From 1 October 2026, card surcharging on Visa, Mastercard, eftpos and Amex payments will no longer be permitted.
  • This is an industry-wide transition. Changing payment providers will not alter the requirement.
  • Existing merchants who currently surcharge should prepare for the 1 October changes, including reviewing how they manage payment costs and whether changes to settlement amounts may affect their reconciliation, accounting or software workflows.

What we've communicated to merchants

Our latest merchant communications are designed to help businesses understand:

  • What is changing and what is not changing.
  • That payment processing fees will continue to apply.
  • How to identify whether they currently apply a surcharge.
  • How to estimate the surcharge revenue their business currently receives.
  • What they should be thinking about now.
  • How applicable transaction fees will be handled from 1 October and the potential impact on settlement amounts.
  • What merchants should consider if they use a trust account for settlement or billing.

Partners can share the merchant article and direct customers to the Merchant Resource Centre for further guidance.Focus on these messages:

Read the merchant article
Visit the Merchant Resource Centre

Partner Messaging & FAQ Guide

Use the Partner Messaging & FAQ Guide when discussing the reforms with merchants or preparing your sales, onboarding and support teams.

The guide includes:

  • The key messages to share with merchants.
  • What changed from 1 July and what changes from 1 October.
  • Common merchant questions and suggested responses.
  • Messaging to avoid.
  • Approved resources and escalation guidance.
Download the Partner Messaging & FAQ Guide

Supporting payment pricing conversations

As merchants review their payment costs, you may hear more questions about blended pricing and interchange plus plus (IC++).
Our payment pricing guide explains the basics, why there's no one-size-fits-all pricing model, and how to navigate these conversations without becoming a payments pricing expert.

Read the payment pricing guide

What partners should review now

  • Sales and go-to-market messaging for new merchants
  • Onboarding journeys, forms and customer communications
  • Customer-facing references to surcharging, payer-pays, fee recovery or card cost pass-through
  • Marketing, product and sales collateral used to acquire or onboard merchants
  • Support guidance and escalation processes for merchant questions.
  • Reconciliation, accounting or automated workflows that rely on settlement amounts matching gross transaction values.
  • Any software functionality or integrations that use Global Payments for Platform settlement values.

Partner FAQs

What changed from 1 July 2026?

Newly onboarded merchants are no longer supported to apply card surcharging. This is part of our phased transition ahead of the broader changes taking effect on 1 October 2026.

What changes from 1 October 2026?

Card surcharging on Visa, Mastercard and eftpos payments ends under the RBA reforms. Amex has separately announced that surcharging on Amex card transactions will also end from this date.

Do the reforms mean payment fees disappear?

No. Businesses will generally continue to incur payment processing costs when customers pay by card.

What should I avoid telling merchants?

Avoid saying payment fees are disappearing, costs will reduce, merchants must increase prices, changing providers will avoid the change, or that everything will be handled automatically.

What should I do if I do not know the answer?

Do not speculate. Use the approved Partner Messaging & FAQ Guide, direct the merchant to the Resource Hub, or contact your Partner Manager or support team.

Will there be product or pricing changes?

Payment processing fees will continue to apply from 1 October 2026. For most merchants who currently recover applicable card transaction fees through surcharging, those fees will instead be deducted prior to settlement.

Individual merchant arrangements may vary. If you have questions about a specific merchant's pricing, settlement or billing configuration, please contact your Partner Manager.

Will settlement amounts change for shared merchants?

For most shared merchants who currently recover applicable card transaction fees from customers through surcharging, those fees will instead be deducted prior to settlement from 1 October 2026.

Transaction reporting will continue to show the full value of card payments processed. However, the amount deposited into the merchant's bank account may be lower than the gross transaction value shown in reporting.

This may affect reconciliation, accounting or automated workflows that rely on settlement amounts matching gross transaction values.

What if a shared merchant uses a trust account?

Some shared merchants may require different settlement or billing arrangements where a trust account is involved.

Trust account regulations may restrict card transaction fees from being paid from a trust account. Global Payments is contacting merchants whose settlement or billing arrangements may require review.

If a shared merchant has questions about their Global Payments settlement, billing account or trust account arrangements, please direct them to Global Payments' Support.

Need help?

If you are unsure how the reforms apply to a particular merchant, product or onboarding scenario, contact your Partner Manager or our support team.

1300 592 283

[email protected]