How to prepare your business for the new RBA surcharge rules

Key takeaways

• Card payment surcharging on eftpos, Mastercard, and Visa debit, prepaid, and credit cards is scheduled to end from 1 October 2026.

• American Express has separately announced that it will remove surcharging from the same date, although it isn't currently subject to formal RBA regulation in the same way.

• Businesses should review their payment settings, pricing, customer-facing copy, statements, and provider arrangements before the deadline. Airwallex will automatically switch off surcharging for its customers on 28 September 2026.

From 1 October 2026, Australian businesses won't be able to add a card surcharge to payments made with eftpos, Mastercard, or Visa. For businesses that currently surcharge to cover payment acceptance costs, that means rethinking how those costs get built into pricing.

The reform goes further than the surcharge change alone. The RBA is also lowering certain domestic interchange fee caps, introducing a cap on foreign-issued card interchange from 1 April 2027, and requiring more fee transparency from card networks and acquirers.

This article explains what's changing, what isn't, and the practical steps your business can take before the deadline.

What are the new RBA surcharging reforms?

The surcharging reforms follow a review of the card payments system which began in October 2024. The RBA review resulted in three key decisions, one of which was that debit and credit card surcharging should end on 1 October 2026.

Currently, businesses can apply a surcharge – an additional fee – to the price of a good or service to cover how much it costs costs them to accept a particular payment method. With these new reforms, they will no longer be able to do that. The RBA has said the reforms will apply to eftpos, Mastercard, and Visa, but other card networks have also made a commitment to remove surcharging. 

The second key decision of the review lowers caps on certain domestic interchange fees, and introduces a 1.0% cap on foreign-issued card interchange from 1 April 2027. The third decision is that large acquirers as well as eftpos, Mastercard and Visa will be required to publish the fees they charge to help with transparency. 

How does this compare with the current rules?

Below is a comparison of how surcharging and the interchange caps behind card acceptance costs are changing. Interchange caps are wholesale fees paid between banks, not the total merchant service fee a business pays its provider; actual fees vary by provider, plan, transaction type, and business profile. Most changes apply from 1 October 2026. The foreign-issued card cap and additional merchant-statement information start on 1 April 2027².

*The foreign-issued card cap doesn't start on 1 October 2026 with the other changes; it takes effect from 1 April 2027.

What payment methods are included in the RBA surcharge ban?

The RBA has applied the ban to specific card networks while others have made a commitment to remove surcharging themselves.

Here are the payment methods included:

• eftpos: Debit and prepaid cards

• Mastercard: Credit, debit, and prepaid cards

• Visa: Credit, debit, and prepaid cards

These card networks will also align with the ban:

• American Express: Credit cards are included, under Amex's separate decision to remove surcharging³

• JCB and UnionPay will also be included, according to an announcement by CommBank⁴

The changes apply to business-to-consumer and business-to-business card payments alike. Unless a card-network rule, law, or regulation provides an exemption, the changes apply to both business-to-consumer and business-to-business card payments.

What is not included, and what fees can remain?

Some charges can remain because they don't depend on the customer using a particular card. These include:

• Weekend or public-holiday hospitality surcharges

• Booking fees

• Service fees

• Delivery or handling fees that are genuinely separate from card use

• Discounts for customers who use a particular payment method, such as cash or PayID

Businesses must not relabel a card payment surcharge as a service, handling, or other fee to avoid the new rules. The full price still needs to be displayed clearly where required, and any payment method discount must not make the undiscounted price unclear or less prominent. 

Buy now, pay later (BNPL), PayPal, and Diners Club aren't covered by this specific RBA reform, but that doesn't mean they're permanently outside future regulation. The RBA announced plans to start a public consultation in mid-2026 to assess interest for regulating retail payment systems not included in this review, such as three-party card networks, BNPL, mobile wallets, and eCommerce platforms⁵.

How Airwallex is supporting your business through the changes

Here is what you need to know if your business uses Airwallex Payments.

If you don't currently surcharge, or you've already disabled it, there's nothing more to do. For everyone else, here's what to expect:

• We'll automatically switch off Airwallex-managed surcharging on 28 September 2026.

• If you apply surcharges through your own checkout logic or an integrated POS system, you'll need to review and remove those separately.

• Check every channel where you take payments – your Airwallex checkout, payment links, integrated or API flows, and any connected POS or booking systems – and remove card surcharges from each.

We're here to help. If you have any questions, reach out to our support team team.

How to prepare your business for the new RBA surcharge ban

Preparing for the deadline comes down to three areas: your payment settings, your pricing, and your customer-facing content.

Review your payment provider and surcharge settings

Start by identifying every place a surcharge might be configured, including payment terminals, online checkout, payment links, invoices, eCommerce plugins, POS integrations, and custom APIs. Ask your payment provider whether surcharge settings will be disabled automatically or need to be removed manually.

• Check third-party integrations separately – your provider may not control surcharge logic configured in another platform.

• Run a test transaction across each of your channels to confirm no surcharge is being applied.

Review pricing and margin impact

Estimate how much surcharge revenue you currently collect by reviewing transaction reports, settlement reports, and provider statements. Payment processing fees won't disappear once surcharging ends, so you'll need to decide whether to absorb them, reflect them in overall prices, or redesign your pricing strategy.

• Model the impact by payment type, sales channel, average order value, and domestic versus international card mix.

• Don't assume lower interchange caps will automatically reduce your merchant service fee – savings depend on your provider's pricing and how much of that saving is passed through.

Update customer-facing content and internal processes

Remove or update surcharge wording across websites, menus, signage, checkout pages, invoices, receipts, quotes, and automated messages. Review your pricing displays so customers understand the total price before they pay, train customer-facing staff to explain the change consistently, and check that accounting and reconciliation processes still record card fees correctly.

Key dates for Australian businesses

The 1 April 2027 date relates to foreign-issued card interchange and statement requirements, it isn't the start date for the surcharge ban.

Next steps before 1 October 2026

Audit your current surcharges, confirm your provider's transition process (Airwallex's is detailed above), review your pricing, and update your customer-facing materials before 1 October 2026. The RBA's FAQ is the best primary reference if you need more detail on the regulatory changes.

Businesses reviewing their payment setup can explore Airwallex Payments to compare available payment methods, checkout options, and payment-cost considerations in one platform.

Frequently asked questions

When does the RBA surcharge ban start in Australia?

From 1 October 2026. Current surcharging rules continue until 30 September 2026, subject to the existing cost-of-acceptance and disclosure requirements. See the RBA's FAQ for full detail.

Does the surcharge ban apply to American Express?

American Express has separately announced that it will remove surcharging on its cards. Amex isn't currently subject to formal RBA regulation in the same way as eftpos, Mastercard, and Visa, so its change reflects its own merchant rule change.

Can businesses still charge weekend, booking, or service fees?

These charges may continue where they're genuinely separate from the customer choosing to pay by card. Businesses must not relabel a card surcharge as another fee to avoid the rules.

Can businesses increase prices when surcharges are removed?

Businesses may review their overall pricing, but they should display prices clearly and avoid misleading customers about the reason for any price change. Speak with your accountant or adviser about what's right for your circumstances.

Sources

1. https://www.rba.gov.au/payments-and-infrastructure/review-of-retail-payments-regulation/2026-03/non-tech-summary.html

2. https://www.rba.gov.au/payments-and-infrastructure/review-of-retail-payments-regulation/2026-03/conclusions-paper/interchange-fees.html 

3. https://www.americanexpress.com/au/merchant/index.html 

4. https://www.commbank.com.au/articles/newsroom/2026/08/commbank-reduces-fee-card-surcharging.html 

5. https://www.rba.gov.au/media-releases/2026/mr-26-10.html 

6. https://www.rba.gov.au/payments-and-infrastructure/review-of-retail-payments-regulation/2026-03/conclusions-paper/faqs/ 

7. https://www.rba.gov.au/payments-and-infrastructure/review-of-retail-payments-regulation/2026-03/conclusions-paper/impact-and-implementation.html 

8. https://www.rba.gov.au/media-releases/2026/mr-26-10.html 

9. https://www.accc.gov.au/business/pricing-surcharging/payment-surcharges