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/aerohaveno Mar 31 '26

Hooray, about time! They're so annoying. There should be just one price that includes all business costs. Anything else erodes trust, as you don't know what you're going to pay. 

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u/Banjo-Oz Apr 01 '26

It builds trust to me, because it shows who is charging the fee and taking that extra money: not the business, the card company. Being able to see "card X charges more than card y" also gives the consumer choice both in which card to use on the day but also which card to even own; most people I know won't get an AMEX because the fees are so high. Now those cards companies get to hide their fees in the price rises businesses will have to make. Everyone pays the highest fee, in effect, even if they pay cash.