Merchant Service Fees

News about fees including interchange, scheme fees and margin

Payments fees surge as oil accelerates inflation

Mar 25, 2026

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Payments fees surge as oil accelerates inflation

Higher ticket prices are creating a surge in payment fees for small businesses, in an economy that Commonwealth Bank and others believe will see the Consumer Price Index rise above 4%.

Merchant Service Fees

Cards close to the chest – RBA mum on fees and surcharge decision

Mar 11, 2026

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Cards close to the chest – RBA mum on fees and surcharge decision

The decision has already been made but the Reserve Bank isn’t giving away any clues as it prepares for the official release of its final verdict on merchant fees and surcharging later this month.

Merchant Service Fees

Bank lobby flags capped credit card surcharge option

Mar 4, 2026

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Bank lobby flags capped credit card surcharge option

With the Reserve Bank set to make its final decision on merchant fees and surcharging tomorrow, the big bank lobby has flagged an alternative to banning credit card surcharging which involves the introduction of credit surcharge caps.

Fintech

ParliPay - hours of action-packed TV with a pinch of fiction

Mar 4, 2026

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ParliPay - hours of action-packed TV with a pinch of fiction

Last week I spent two days watching the parade of banking and payment seniors strut their stuff in Canberra at the House Economics Committee – the ParliPay hearings.

Merchant Service Fees

Mar 4, 2026

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The great loyalty shake-up: Australia's biggest brands rewire rewards

Australia's loyalty landscape is being redrawn by regulatory pressure, cost-of-living anxiety and a retail data goldrush where every payment is a data point that’s sold and shared.

Merchant Service Fees

Global payments consultancy BBMS enters Australia as surcharging ban looms

Feb 25, 2026

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Global payments consultancy BBMS enters Australia as surcharging ban looms

With the RBA’s card surcharging ban set to hit in July, London-based payments veteran Neil Fillbrook is bringing BB Merchant Services’ forensic cost-reduction model to Australia — promising average savings of 23% for businesses.

Merchant Service Fees

“Monopoly” schemes and blended rates killing retail payments competition, says committee

Feb 25, 2026

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“Monopoly” schemes and blended rates killing retail payments competition, says committee

A parliamentary inquiry into card schemes and digital wallets has labelled the dominance of US card schemes in Australia a “monopoly”, while others said the benefits of least-cost routing are being eroded by pervasive blended rate plans.

Merchant Service Fees

Feb 25, 2026

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The $2 Billion scheme fee black box

A marathon day of parliamentary testimony revealed a payments system where nobody admits to being dominant, nobody can fully explain where the money goes, and Australia’s small businesses are caught in the crossfire between banks, card schemes, and big tech.

Fintech

Threatened “Zero Cost” Smartpay changes name and wants AusPayNet review

Feb 25, 2026

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Threatened “Zero Cost” Smartpay changes name and wants AusPayNet review

With its business model on the brink, blended rate terminal operator Smartpay has changed its name and come out swinging on surcharge regulation, scheme fees, Apple Pay and big bank dominance, including the role of the industry’s “governance body” AusPayNet.

Cash

Australia breaks new records on card spending ... and merchant fees

Feb 18, 2026

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Australia breaks new records on card spending ... and merchant fees

New data shows 2025 saw record card usage in Australia, but fees charged to merchants for accepting those cards also increased across almost all card categories.

Merchant Service Fees

“Card tricks” keeping SME fees high, says IPF

Feb 11, 2026

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“Card tricks” keeping SME fees high, says IPF

A coalition representing more than 120,000 small retailers has accused global card schemes of keeping their payment costs artificially high by applying a global playbook of “card tricks”.

Merchant Service Fees

Will American Express cop more regulation?

Jan 28, 2026

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Will American Express cop more regulation?

The combination of the RBA review into card fees and the House inquiry into credit cards and digital payments have increased calls to beef up the regulation of American Express in Australia.

Merchant Service Fees

Cashflow crisis - small business faces finance double whammy on July 1

Jan 21, 2026

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Cashflow crisis - small business faces finance double whammy on July 1

There are growing calls from small business groups for delays, carve outs and more comprehensive regulatory reform as new rules for super and surcharging threaten an already precarious economic environment for the sector.

Merchant Service Fees

Credit card companies face Canberra scrutiny in early 2026 as Trump calls for US interest rate cap

Jan 14, 2026

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Credit card companies face Canberra scrutiny in early 2026 as Trump calls for US interest rate cap

As the Australian Parliament readies for its first inquiry into credit cards in over a decade, US President Donald Trump has called for a one-year cap on credit card interest rates at 10 per cent.

Fintech

Airwallex takes on Square, PayPal, Stripe and Adyen with global omnichannel POS play

Dec 17, 2025

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Airwallex takes on Square, PayPal, Stripe and Adyen with global omnichannel POS play

Aussie-born payments outfit Airwallex is about to venture into the POS terminal market globally, with a slick new machine to take on big players like Square, PayPal, Stripe and Adyen in 2026.

Cash

+12

Massive year in payments but 2026 looms even larger

Dec 17, 2025

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Massive year in payments but 2026 looms even larger

There will be little rest for the payments industry this summer, as businesses, regulators and lawmakers get ready for a raft of big changes in the New Year. In the final edition of PayDay News for 2025, we look at the big changes this year, and what to expect in 2026.

Merchant Service Fees

Chargeback fees surge as AI reshapes online payments and merchants bear the cost

Dec 10, 2025

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Chargeback fees surge as AI reshapes online payments and merchants bear the cost

Bank disputes processes are giving way to automated, opaque and more expensive fintech systems, costing merchants big dollars in fees as online sales boom.

Merchant Service Fees

Banks fail to delay card review but could win on interchange

Dec 3, 2025

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Banks fail to delay card review but could win on interchange

The Reserve Bank of Australia will not bow to pressure to delay its inquiry into surcharge and card fees, but instead appears to be preparing to deliver the banks a win on interchange.

Fintech

Tyro cuts rates in Christmas deal with Visa and Mastercard

Nov 26, 2025

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Tyro cuts rates in Christmas deal with Visa and Mastercard

Tyro’s outgoing CEO Jon Davey has handed some small business customers a fee cut from next week, lowering prices just in time for Christmas.

Merchant Service Fees

Big banks urge RBA to test scheme fee regulation and broaden cards inquiry

Nov 19, 2025

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Big banks urge RBA to test scheme fee regulation and broaden cards inquiry

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) should not be deterred from regulating the scheme fees charged by Visa and Mastercard because of the possibility of litigation, according to Commonwealth Bank CEO Matt Comyn.

Merchant Service Fees

US merchants win the right to surcharge credit cards as RBA mulls ban

Nov 19, 2025

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US merchants win the right to surcharge credit cards as RBA mulls ban

In a moment of payments regulatory irony, a court settlement in the US may give merchants the right to surcharge costly rewards, premium and corporate credit cards, just as the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) looks to ban the practice here.

Merchant Service Fees

Westpac confirms interchange pays for its credit card rewards

Nov 19, 2025

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Westpac confirms interchange pays for its credit card rewards

Westpac CEO, Anthony Miller told the Standing Committee on Economics yesterday that rewards are funded by interchange fees, despite the Reserve Bank ruling them an ineligible interchange cost.

Merchant Service Fees

NZ surcharge ban will create an “uneven playing field” with online excluded

Nov 12, 2025

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NZ surcharge ban will create an “uneven playing field” with online excluded

Feedback has now closed on the Retail Payment System (Ban on Merchant Surcharges) Amendment Bill introduced to New Zealand Parliament on September 16 and groups have voiced their concerns about the impact on businesses and consumers.

Fintech

Toast set to smoulder in busy Aussie hospitality market

Nov 12, 2025

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Toast set to smoulder in busy Aussie hospitality market

The US payments giant Toast faces a bewildering array of competitors in a market primed for change with the banning of surcharges.

Fintech

Tyro locks in new CEO as suitors continue to circle

Nov 12, 2025

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Tyro locks in new CEO as suitors continue to circle

Shareholders are agitating for incoming chief Nigel Lee to realise some value for the company.