Surcharging

News about surcharging and consumer fees

Merchant Service Fees

Wake up! Only 162 days before surcharge ban kicks in

Apr 22, 2026

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Wake up! Only 162 days before surcharge ban kicks in

With just 162 days left until the first round of changes to Australia’s retail payment system, the payments industry is having mixed reactions to the most significant changes in a generation, but you wouldn’t know it.

Fintech

Accommodation providers look for cheaper pay options in wake of surcharge ban

Apr 15, 2026

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Accommodation providers look for cheaper pay options in wake of surcharge ban

With Australia's planned ban on card surcharges set to take effect on 1 October, GoCardless said accommodation providers are seeking lower-cost payment alternatives to protect margins.

Merchant Service Fees

Schemes allow surcharging in the US as RBA shuts the door here

Apr 15, 2026

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Schemes allow surcharging in the US as RBA shuts the door here

In a cruel irony for Australian small businesses, Mastercard and Visa have changed the rule book in the US to allow surcharging on credit cards, just as the Reserve Bank of Australia bans the practice in Australia.

Fintech

Game on. PSPs and acquirers fight to survive in a post-surcharge world

Apr 8, 2026

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Game on. PSPs and acquirers fight to survive in a post-surcharge world

Ahead of what is likely to be the biggest Payment Service Provider (PSP) and acquiring market shakeup in decades, Tyro, Zeller, Westpac and CBA are already wooing customers for the post-surcharging world, while ANZ remains mum on its plans for ANZ Worldline.

Regulation

How the RBA created the surcharge snafu it now blames on others

Apr 8, 2026

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How the RBA created the surcharge snafu it now blames on others

Amidst high inflation, global uncertainty and surging fuel prices, Michele Bullock announced the controversial surcharging ban last week by saying the system "no longer works as intended." What she didn't say is that she was one of the people who made it work the way it did.

Merchant Service Fees

“Own goal”: 87% of Aussies brace for 3.5% price hike after surcharge ban

Apr 8, 2026

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“Own goal”: 87% of Aussies brace for 3.5% price hike after surcharge ban

New research from Money.com.au reveals that just one-third of Australians support the government's surcharge ban, with 87% expecting retailers to respond by raising prices, potentially triggering a fresh inflation spike at the worst possible time.

Cash

"The fees don't disappear": voices calling foul on Australia's surcharge ban

Apr 8, 2026

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"The fees don't disappear": voices calling foul on Australia's surcharge ban

Over the past week, commentary from across industry - Brad Kelly, the co-founder of the Independent Payments Forum (IPF), John Arnott, Director of AMP Bank Go, Jason Bryce, a Melbourne-based financial journalist and founder of CashWelcome.org, and Dr Fei Gao, Lecturer from the University of Sydney Business School - has highlighted the level of concern about the RBA’s decision during a period of high inflation and economic uncertainty.

Fintech

Apr 1, 2026

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Fintechs grapple with stark no-surcharge future

Following the Reserve Bank’s no surcharge decision, a gaggle of well-known fintechs including Zeller, Shift4, Zero, PayNuts, Square and Tyro may need to rebuild their business models and, in some cases, technology stacks, or risk losing massive market share back to the big banks.

Regulation

Inflation fuel: RBA gifts banks and US card schemes a big win on cards fees and surcharges

Apr 1, 2026

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Inflation fuel: RBA gifts banks and US card schemes a big win on cards fees and surcharges

Yesterday’s glossy, spin-doctored RBA announcement felt more like a corporate launch than a regulatory decision, complete with case studies, vox pops and puffed up stats to back in the central bank’s long-awaited decision. But while the banks, the ACCC and US card schemes were celebrating their lobbying efforts on interchange relief and surcharging bans, small businesses were considering how much they will need to lift prices to deal with the thousands of dollars in extra fees they will need to pay come October.

Merchant Service Fees

Small businesses are scratching their head at how banning surcharges can be good for them

Apr 1, 2026

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Small businesses are scratching their head at how banning surcharges can be good for them

A wide range of businesses and small business groups are convinced that the RBA has kicked an own goal on inflation with an April Fool’s joke that is not funny.

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.