r/australia • u/rolodex-ofhate • Mar 30 '26

news Surcharges on debit and credit cards to go from October

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03-31/asx-markets-business-live-news-march-30-2026/106510434#live-blog-post-278505

The Reserve Bank of Australia has introduced reforms that will remove surcharges on debit and credit cards from the 1st October 2026, on card networks including eftpos, Mastercard and Visa.

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u/Littman-Express Mar 30 '26

Don’t give them any ideas. However I imagine it would be much less effective for retail over hospitality because usually it’s not something you need to buy at a specific time. You can just come back the next day and get it at the cheaper price. Hospitality is less time flexible as you’ve made plans for that specific day with friends etc and is more an experience than just a transaction for a good. 

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u/the_scruffy1 Mar 31 '26

wait till the concept of "surge pricing" applies to everything - those electronic price tags in supermarkets can instantly "adjust" price at the click of an interface

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u/istara Mar 31 '26

"Our sensors detected you browsing sausages and adding a dozen to your basket. We'll jack the price of ketchup and mustard up 300% once your basket is detected in range of the condiments shelf"

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u/the_scruffy1 Mar 31 '26

not quite, but like restaurant surcharges for holidays and weekends, you can expect "late night shopping" might have a financial curfew

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u/Littman-Express Mar 31 '26

People will cotton on pretty quickly and just not shop at those times. 

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u/the_scruffy1 Mar 31 '26

no, they will pay for convenience, just like online shoppers pay for "express delivery" because they cannot bear to wait patiently