Surcharging

News about surcharging and consumer fees

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

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.

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.

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

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.

Regulation

Merchant fees surge 10% ahead of proposed surcharge ban

Nov 12, 2025

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Merchant fees surge 10% ahead of proposed surcharge ban

New RBA data shows Australian merchants are paying $300 million more annually in card fees, despite political and regulatory scrutiny on surcharging and interchange reform.

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.

Merchant Service Fees

Velocity flies into the interchange and surcharge storm

Nov 12, 2025

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Velocity flies into the interchange and surcharge storm

While all eyes are on Qantas, Virgin Australia has fired a distress flare on the potential impact of the Reserve Bank of Australia’s Review of Merchant Card Payment Costs and Surcharging – saying it could impact both revenue and Velocity cards.

Merchant Service Fees

Westpac wins ALDI acquiring ahead of surcharge ban

Nov 12, 2025

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Westpac wins ALDI acquiring ahead of surcharge ban

Westpac has won ALDI’s acquiring business, just months out from the Reserve Bank of Australia’s proposed ban on surcharging which will force the supermarket giant to rethink its payments strategy.

Merchant Service Fees

PSPs continue to push blended pricing plans despite looming surcharge ban

Nov 5, 2025

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PSPs continue to push blended pricing plans despite looming surcharge ban

Small businesses could be left counting the cost if they succumb to heavy marketing incentives to sign up to hefty blended rate surcharging plans ahead of a looming ban.

Merchant Service Fees

RBA “polarising” debate on card fees and surcharge bans rather than looking for solutions, says IPF

Oct 29, 2025

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RBA “polarising” debate on card fees and surcharge bans rather than looking for solutions, says IPF

The Reserve Bank is polarising debate on surcharging by failing to pick up on nuisances and practical ideas to reduce card fees before any surcharge ban is implemented, according to small business advocates.

Merchant Service Fees

Uncertainty prevails as RBA delays decision on surcharging and card fees until March

Oct 29, 2025

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Uncertainty prevails as RBA delays decision on surcharging and card fees until March

The Reserve Bank has delayed its decision on card fees and surcharging until March 2026, saying it needs more time to consider more than 170 submissions received.

Merchant Service Fees

RBA stats on surcharging still not adding up

Oct 22, 2025

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RBA stats on surcharging still not adding up

There is a lot of debate around the surcharge ban in Australia. The Reserve Bank (RBA) claims only 10% of small businesses surcharge, but many are sceptical of that figure. If the RBA is wrong, a ban on surcharging can have serious implications for consumers, businesses and payment service providers.

Merchant Service Fees

Impact of surcharge reform on government services uncertain as rego prices rise

Oct 15, 2025

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Impact of surcharge reform on government services uncertain as rego prices rise

There’s uncertainty about how governments will recoup the cost of banning card surcharges, as NSW bumps up its annual fees by more than CPI and Queensland cuts American Express as payment option for transport this week.

Merchant Service Fees

RBA admits small merchants may continue to pay high card fees

Oct 15, 2025

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RBA admits small merchants may continue to pay high card fees

Reserve Bank Governor Michele Bullock has admitted that not only are small merchants paying “much, much more” in card fees than their big business counterparts, but they may continue to do so under its proposed plan.

Fintech

Zeller sets sights on UK’s £1.3 Trillion SME Market

Oct 8, 2025

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Zeller sets sights on UK’s £1.3 Trillion SME Market

Melbourne blended rate PSP Zeller has set its sights on the UK as the first step in a “global expansion” strategy.

Merchant Service Fees

RBA limp on blended rates and LCR, despite market failure on SME card fees

Sep 24, 2025

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RBA limp on blended rates and LCR, despite market failure on SME card fees

Key strategies to reduce the cost of card fees charged to small businesses are not being used by the Reserve Bank of Australia, despite decades of market failure under the “reluctant regulator” and its proposed ban on surcharging.

Digital & Online

Sep 24, 2025

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Ticketing giants’ opaque pricing

Long the masters of recategorising and changing fee structures to stay a step ahead of regulators, the Ticketmaster/Ticketek duopoly will be ready for any challenge thrown by regulators, their critics believe.

Fintech

With no consensus on card fees and surcharging, will the public interest prevail?

Sep 17, 2025

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With no consensus on card fees and surcharging, will the public interest prevail?

If the Reserve Bank wants consensus on its proposal for merchant fees and surcharging, it’s a lost cause. The best the central bank can hope for is a decision in the public interest, leveraging strong sentiment on issues such as scheme fees, least-cost routing and the burden on small business.

Merchant Service Fees

Payments reforms put global providers in the frame

Sep 10, 2025

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Payments reforms put global providers in the frame

After years of deliberation and delay, federal parliament has finally passed changes to the Payments System Regulation Act. While the reforms give the Treasurer new special powers to designate payments systems in the ‘national interest’ they are unlikely to advance the RBA’s mandate to support competition. Currently only eftpos, NPP, Visa and MasterCard are designated payment systems.