Be careful what you wish for. The inevitable outcome of the surcharge ban

Brad Kelly
Payments Expert
29 Sep, 2026
Despite claims of savings for Aussie consumers and businesses that may come with the Reserve Bank’s decision on card fees and surcharging, there are definite winners out of all of this, and they are not Australian. Payments Expert Brad Kelly cuts through the spin.
Be careful what you wish for. The inevitable outcome of the surcharge ban

Despite claims of savings for Aussie consumers and businesses that may come with the Reserve Bank’s decision on card fees and surcharging, there are definite winners out of all of this, and they are not Australian. Payments Expert Brad Kelly cuts through the spin.

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The Reserve Bank says ASX remains below expectations on governance, operational resilience and risk management, despite upgrading two facilities after improvements to the ageing CHESS settlement system during
Despite claims of savings for Aussie consumers and businesses that may come with the Reserve Bank’s decision on card fees and surcharging, there are definite winners out of
In the same week the RBA hiked interest rates to their highest level in 15 years, its Payments System Board is about to face the possibility of real
Small vendors face immediate pressure to absorb processing fees or increase prices, as payment providers hold margins and delay transparent fee disclosures after surcharging ends. Meanwhile, NAB and
Australian Payments Plus (AP+) and Commonwealth Bank have joined a Swift initiative to let Australians send money overseas using familiar identifiers at an unspecified date, as domestic account-to-account

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