Australia’s card surcharge ban is in force. Here’s what changes next

Australia’s next payment reform deadline is 30 October. Major card networks and large payment firms must publish more details about their fees by then. This follows the end of most card-payment surcharges on 1 October.

For people who have moved to Australia, the change already matters at the checkout. It also affects visa payments. The new card rules generally cover overseas-issued cards, while Home Affairs has removed its own payment surcharges.

The checkout rules have already changed

Visa, Mastercard and eftpos introduced no-surcharge rules on 1 October 2026. These cover credit, debit and prepaid cards on their networks, including, in general, cards issued overseas. American Express and UnionPay also removed surcharging from that date. PayPal’s separate rule took effect on 5 October, according to the Reserve Bank of Australia’s guidance.

This is now in force, rather than a proposal. The RBA changed its standards to let the networks ban surcharges. The networks then set the rules businesses must follow.

The change concerns the seller’s extra charge for paying by card. It is not a promise that your card has no other fees, so check your card issuer’s terms.

Visa payments no longer carry a surcharge

The Department of Home Affairs confirms that it stopped adding surcharges to all card, PayPal and UnionPay payments from 1 October. This removes a payment-related extra cost for visa applicants. The announcement concerns surcharges, not a cut to the visa application charge itself.

Not every extra fee has gone

Weekend and public-holiday surcharges can still apply. A genuine booking or service fee can also remain if it is not tied to how you pay. Businesses must still follow price-display rules.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission says businesses should not disguise a card surcharge by giving it another name. They can include card-processing costs in their main prices, but must not mislead customers about prices or why they have risen.

Taxi payment surcharges are a separate case. The RBA says they remain a matter for state and territory regulators. A card surcharge in a taxi is therefore not automatically a breach of the new network rules.

Where to question a charge

Ask the business what the fee is for. If it appears to be an improper card surcharge, contact the card network or the business’s payment provider. For eftpos, contact the bank that issued your card.

Card networks and payment providers enforce the no-surcharge rules, not the ACCC. False or misleading pricing can be reported to the ACCC or a state or territory consumer agency. The ACCC does not settle individual pricing disputes.

What happens on 30 October?

Under the RBA’s published timetable, the first fee reports are due by 30 October. Card networks must publish broad data on fees, while covered large payment firms must report the fees they charge businesses.

These first reports cover July to September 2026, before the surcharge rules changed. They will provide a starting point for comparisons, rather than show the full effect of the October reforms.

More reports are due by 30 January 2027. These will show how lower interchange fees have flowed through to the charges paid by businesses. Interchange fees are payments between firms in the card system. A cap will also cover these fees for overseas-issued card payments in Australia. It starts on 1 April 2027. That later date does not delay the checkout surcharge rules for overseas cards.

Checked against official guidance on 22 October 2026.

Illustrative stock image. Photo: Vitaly Gariev / Unsplash, used under the Unsplash License. Cropped.