Surcharging

News about surcharging and consumer fees

Surcharging

Is Amex sleepwalking into regulatory and customer nightmare?

Jun 17, 2026

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Is Amex sleepwalking into regulatory and customer nightmare?

By imposing its “no surcharge" rule on Australia’s merchants, Amex has just opened the door for regulators to step in, and they might just drag the banks' interchange holiday on corporate cards along with them.

Surcharging

Visa spent 15 years killing surcharges now it wants the banks to do the dirty work

Jun 17, 2026

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Visa spent 15 years killing surcharges now it wants the banks to do the dirty work

With every major scheme now committed to no-surcharge rules from October 1, attention turns to the wording no one will publish, the policing no one will detail, and the new service fees merchants are already reaching for. The promised consumer savings may be the first thing to disappear.

Surcharging

US scheme twins Visa and Mastercard move in lockstep on “no surcharge” rules

Jun 11, 2026

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US scheme twins Visa and Mastercard move in lockstep on “no surcharge” rules

Just days after eftpos and American Express, card scheme giants Visa and Mastercard have formally confirmed what most of the payments industry already knew: both will enforce "no surcharge" rules on Australian merchants from 1 October.

Merchant Service Fees

eftpos moves first on “no surcharge” rule but may face resurgence of terminal service fees

Jun 10, 2026

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eftpos moves first on “no surcharge” rule but may face resurgence of terminal service fees

eftpos owner Australian Payments Plus (AP+) plugs least cost routing as merchants prepare to swallow billions in fees and questions swirl about policing “no surcharge” rules and a potential resurgence of terminal service fees.

Merchant Service Fees

Punters to pay for rewards, as costly Amex applies “no surcharge” rule and Tyro complies

Jun 10, 2026

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Punters to pay for rewards, as costly Amex applies “no surcharge” rule and Tyro complies

Struggling small businesses and their customers will be forced to pay for costly premium Amex rewards programs and international card fees, after the RBA gave non-designated card schemes like Amex, Discover and China UnionPay a temporary green light to apply “no surcharge” rules from October 1. Tyro has joined Fiserv in bowing to the international card schemes “no-surcharge” rules without question.

Merchant Service Fees

The RBA hasn't banned surcharges — and the difference matters

Jun 10, 2026

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The RBA hasn't banned surcharges — and the difference matters

Misunderstanding the scope of the Reserve Bank of Australia’s change of position will cost merchants real money and acquirers real customers — and that's a surcharge nobody agreed to.

Fintech

Fiserv doubles down - bans its merchants from recovering fees from all networks and international tourists

Jun 3, 2026

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Fiserv doubles down - bans its merchants from recovering fees from all networks and international tourists

While the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) and ACCC have only talked about surcharge restrictions for Visa, Mastercard and eftpos, US payments giant Fiserv’s Australian operation is going the whole hog - banning its unwitting merchant customers from surcharging everything from Amex, China Union Pay and Discover.

Surcharging

May 27, 2026

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Schemes to play cop as the ACCC walks away from surcharging beat

The ACCC is walking away from its role of regulating and policing card surcharging, leaving it to the big card companies – Visa, Mastercard, Amex and eftpos - to enforce their own “rules” from October 1 ... rules that are not yet public or understood.

Merchant Service Fees

Webjet falls victim to RBA payments changes as Virgin returns to in-house package tours

May 27, 2026

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Webjet falls victim to RBA payments changes as Virgin returns to in-house package tours

Virgin is quickly following Qantas into package tours and non-card partners as it moves to counter cuts to interchange and the card surcharging ban ahead of their implementation on October 1.

Cash

Business groups seek urgent guidance on non-card discount rules

May 20, 2026

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Business groups seek urgent guidance on non-card discount rules

As the surcharge ban looms, industry groups are predicting the return of cash discounts and the introduction of benefits for account-to-account payments for online transactions - but what are the rules?

Merchant Service Fees

From Orlando: what America's surcharge surge says about Australia's October 1 scheme rule

May 20, 2026

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From Orlando: what America's surcharge surge says about Australia's October 1 scheme rule

While the Reserve Bank has given the green light for the US card schemes to impose their “no surcharge” bans on merchants in Australia from 1 October, our travelling reporter Alex Zaharov-Reutt discovers that merchants in their home country are not restricted by the same rules.

Merchant Service Fees

No clarity on murky surcharge rules as high-cost Amex considers its own Aussie ban

May 13, 2026

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No clarity on murky surcharge rules as high-cost Amex considers its own Aussie ban

Industry insiders say Amex may seize the opportunity to jump on the “no-surcharge” bandwagon despite its high fees, lack of regulation and the practice being allowed in its home country, the United States. But locally-owned eftpos is likely to move first, ahead of Visa and Mastercard where their scheme rules could get murky for corporate and international cards.

Merchant Service Fees

Will Aldi hike prices to cover card fee hit?

May 13, 2026

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Will Aldi hike prices to cover card fee hit?

Are Aldi prices about to rise for price-sensitive customers who can least afford it? The German chain already faces a cost disadvantage on payments to its larger rivals Coles and Woolworths, now it faces a government dictated hit to its competitive advantage.

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.