Question 1

Does this include American Express, PayPal and UnionPay?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The RBA says: “American Express, UnionPay and PayPal have also decided to remove surcharging. These firms are not currently subject to formal regulation by the RBA.” It also notes: “PayPal’s no surcharge rule will take effect from 5 October 2026.” Network rules “are business decisions taken by each network and may be subject to change.”

Question 2

Can I still charge a weekend or public holiday surcharge?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The ACCC says: “Yes, hospitality businesses can continue to charge weekend and public holiday surcharges. These surcharges are not covered by the Reserve Bank of Australia’s rules.” The RBA says the changes “do not apply to weekend surcharges, public holiday surcharges, or booking fees or service fees.”

Question 3

Can a taxi still add a card surcharge?

Accepted Answer

It depends on your state or territory. The RBA says: “Surcharging in the taxi industry remains the responsibility of state and territory regulators. To the extent that surcharging continues in respect of payments for taxi fares, these surcharges will remain subject to any applicable relevant state and territory legislation.” Check with your state or territory taxi regulator.

Question 4

I sent an invoice before 1 October 2026. Can I add a surcharge if they pay by card now?

Accepted Answer

Possibly not. The RBA says: “If a card payment is made on or after 1 October 2026, surcharging may no longer be available even if the invoice was issued earlier.” It adds: “Businesses should check with their payment service provider, as some providers have indicated they may disable surcharging functionality from that date.”

Question 5

Can I offer a discount for paying with cash or PayID?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The ACCC says: “Businesses can offer discounts to consumers who pay using a particular payment method, such as cash or PayID.” It also says: “Payment method discounts should be clearly disclosed before consumers choose to book, order or pay.” Businesses should not “display only the discounted price” or “make the discounted price more prominent than the full price.”

Question 6

Can I call it a service fee instead?

Accepted Answer

Not if it is really a card surcharge. The ACCC says: “Businesses shouldn’t try to avoid the ‘no surcharge’ rules set by the Visa, Mastercard, American Express and eftpos card networks by describing a card payment surcharge as another type of fee or charge. Businesses that do this may be engaging in misleading conduct.”

Question 7

Are my payment provider’s terminal and processing fees affected?

Accepted Answer

No, not by these changes. The RBA says fees for renting payment terminals, processing transactions or other payments-related offerings “are fees for services provided and are not considered payment surcharges. The changes to remove card payment surcharging do not apply to these types of fees.”

Question 8

What if my prices are regulated?

Accepted Answer

The RBA says: “Some businesses with regulated prices may not be able to adjust these prices. The RBA has informed governments and price regulators of the changes so they can take them into account in future decisions.”

Question 9

Who enforces the ‘no surcharge’ rules?

Accepted Answer

The card networks and payment service providers. The ACCC says: “The card networks or payment service providers are responsible for enforcing these rules, not the ACCC.” The ACCC and state and territory consumer protection agencies enforce the Australian Consumer Law, including rules against misleading claims about prices.

Card surcharge questions, answered from the ACCC and RBA

Frequently asked questions