The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has announced that surcharging on debit, prepaid and credit cards will be removed from 1st October 2026, as surcharging is no longer achieving its intended purpose, it has become harder for consumers to avoid and is often poorly disclosed.
From that date, businesses will no longer be able to surcharge payments made via eftpos, Mastercard or Visa. American Express, JCB and UnionPay are also working to remove surcharging from the same date. Interchange fee caps will also be lowered from 1st October 2026 for Australian-issued cards, and 1st April 2027 for foreign-issued cards, alongside new reporting requirements to improve fee transparency for merchants.
Businesses that currently apply surcharges will need to remove surcharge settings across all payment channels, update customer-facing materials, and ensure staff are prepared ahead of the changeover.
Click here: Reserve Bank of Australia
