{"id":2704,"date":"2026-09-29T02:43:42","date_gmt":"2026-09-29T02:43:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/platforms.globalpayments.com\/en\/?page_id=2704"},"modified":"2026-09-29T05:04:39","modified_gmt":"2026-09-29T05:04:39","slug":"merchant","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/platforms.globalpayments.com\/en\/rba\/merchant\/","title":{"rendered":"RBA – Merchant"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Reserve bank of australia<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Australia's surcharge rules are changing. <\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Here's what that means for our merchants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Updated on 29 September 2026<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n\n\n\n

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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.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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What this means for your business<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If your business currently applies a surcharge to card payments, these changes may affect how you recover your payment costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Payment processing fees will continue to apply. The key change is that these costs can no longer be recovered through a separate card surcharge to customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As this is an industry-wide transition, changing payment providers will not alter this requirement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This Resource Centre brings together practical information to help you understand what is changing, what isn't changing, and the steps you can take to prepare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Read the article - Card surcharge changes explained: What businesses need to know<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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What this looks like in practice<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Today - before 1 October 2026<\/th>From 1 October 2026<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Businesses can apply a surcharge to card payments<\/td>Surcharges on Visa, Mastercard, eftpos and Amex card payments are no longer permitted in Australia from 1 October 2026<\/td><\/tr>
Payment processing fees apply when accepting cards<\/td>Payment processing fees still apply when accepting cards<\/td><\/tr>
Customers may see an extra charge at checkout<\/td>No separate surcharge can be added at checkout<\/td><\/tr>
Businesses may use surcharging to offset payment costs<\/td>Businesses will need to consider how costs are managed within their overall pricing model<\/td><\/tr>
Ancillary fees such as dishonour and admin fees can be passed on to customers<\/td>There are no changes to these fees under the reform, the reform affects transaction surcharges only<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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What should I do now?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Review whether your business currently applies a surcharge, how payment costs are managed and whether changes to your settlement amounts may affect your reconciliation, accounting or automated software workflows. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If your settlement or billing account is a trust account, or you\u2019re unsure whether Global Payments holds the correct account details for transaction fee collection, please contact our Support team as soon as possible.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Questions businesses are asking<\/h2>\n\n\n
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\n What is actually changing?\n \n \n \n <\/svg>\n <\/h4>\n
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From 1 October 2026, businesses in Australia will no longer be permitted to apply a surcharge to Visa, Mastercard or eftpos card payments. Amex has separately announced that surcharging on Amex card transactions will also end from the same date.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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\n Do payment fees disappear?\n \n \n \n <\/svg>\n <\/h4>\n
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No. Businesses will continue to incur payment processing costs when customers pay by card. The changes relate to surcharging, not the underlying costs of accepting card payments.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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\n Does this affect direct debit payments from bank accounts?\n \n \n \n <\/svg>\n <\/h4>\n
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No. These changes apply to card payments and do not affect direct debit payments from bank accounts.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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\n Does this affect recurring card payments?\n \n \n \n <\/svg>\n <\/h4>\n
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Yes. The surcharge changes apply regardless of whether a card payment is one-off or recurring.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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\n How do I know if I currently surcharge?\n \n \n \n <\/svg>\n <\/h4>\n
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If customers currently pay an additional fee when using a Visa, Mastercard, eftpos or Amex card, these changes are likely to affect your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not sure whether you currently surcharge? Ask yourself:<\/p>\n\n\n\n