--- title: "The RBA card surcharge ban: A full picture for hospitality brands." description: Card surcharges end 1 October 2026. Learn what's changing, what you can still charge, and how to benefit from lower card fees in your hospitality business. --- [Skip to content](https://help.bopple.com/the-card-surcharge-ban-the-full-picture-for-hospitality#main-content) [![logo-full-landscape-1024-1.png\]](https://help.bopple.com/hs-fs/hubfs/logo-full-landscape-1024-1.png?width=100&height=31&name=logo-full-landscape-1024-1.png)](https://help.bopple.com/?hsLang=en) - [Blog](https://blog.bopple.com/) - [Contact Us](https://help.bopple.com/kb-tickets/new) Open main navigation Close main navigation - [Blog](https://blog.bopple.com/) - [Contact Us](https://help.bopple.com/kb-tickets/new) - - [Visit Back Office](https://my.bopple.com/) [Visit Back Office](https://my.bopple.com/) How can we help you today? - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. 1. [Support for Merchants](https://help.bopple.com/?hsLang=en) 2. [Platform fees](https://help.bopple.com/platform-fees?hsLang=en) # The RBA card surcharge ban: A full picture for hospitality brands. ## The card surcharge ban is only one part of the RBA's payment changes. Card surcharges end on 1 October 2026, and the cost of accepting cards is coming down. Here's what's changing, and what you can still charge. *This article applies to businesses in Australia. It's general information, not legal or financial advice.* You've probably seen the headline: card surcharges are banned from 1 October 2026. That's only part of the story. The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) is changing how card payments work across the country. The ban is the part everyone's talking about. The rest of the changes could lower your costs, make pricing simpler, and give you more control over what you pay to accept cards and your point-of-sale. Here's the full picture, what it means for your business, and what to do next. ### The changes at a glance - **Card surcharges end on 1 October 2026** on eftpos, Mastercard and Visa. American Express, JCB, UnionPay and PayPal are making the same change. - **Every card payment is covered:** credit, debit and prepaid, personal and business cards, in-store, online and in mobile wallets. - **Wholesale card fees fall from 1 October 2026,** with the biggest cut on consumer credit cards. - **Payment fees become public,** so you can see what providers charge and whether they pass savings on. - **Genuine fees stay.** Weekend and public holiday surcharges, booking fees, delivery fees and service fees are still supported. ### Why this is happening - There was no incentive for payment rates to be competitive, merchants simply passed fees on. - Payment fees were being bundled into repayment costs, e.g higher fees, but "free" point-of-sale hardware. - Excessive surcharging by merchants was rising. - Consumer surcharge fee complaints were growing and growing.   ### Change 1: Card surcharges end From 1 October 2026, you can't add a fee because a consumer pays by card. **It's enforced through card network rules.** The RBA doesn't regulate businesses directly. Instead, it removed the rule that stopped card networks from banning surcharges, and eftpos, Mastercard and Visa have each introduced no-surcharge rules. Those rules reach you through your payment provider, as part of your agreement to accept cards. **Every major network is on board.** eftpos, Mastercard and Visa are regulated by the RBA. American Express, JCB, UnionPay and PayPal aren't, but they've chosen to remove surcharging from the same date. **It covers every type of card payment:** - Credit, debit and prepaid cards - Personal, commercial and corporate cards - In-store, online and digital payments - Cards stored in mobile wallets, such as Apple Pay and Google Pay **Business payments are included.** You can't surcharge a card payment because a company is paying. **Your statements don't change the rule.** Payment statements may still show your cost of accepting cards. That's for your information. **Who enforces the rules?** Card networks and payment providers enforce the no-surcharge rules. A business that keeps surcharging may be contacted by its provider to remove the surcharge, and may face penalties. The ACCC and state and territory consumer protection agencies enforce consumer law, including rules against misleading prices. ### Change 2: Lowering the caps on card costs This is the part most businesses haven't heard about. Every time a consumer taps their card, you pay a fee to your payment provider. That fee has three parts: 1. **Interchange fees,** paid to the consumer's bank 2. **Scheme fees,** paid to the card network, such as Visa or Mastercard 3. **Payment provider's margin** The RBA is lowering the caps on interchange fees. **Make sure the savings reach you.** If you're on a single flat rate, you'll only see lower interchange if your provider lowers that rate. Beware locking in a flat rate.   ### Change 3: Payment fee reporting The RBA is making it much easier to see what you're paying and to compare providers: - **By 30 October 2026:** acquirers (the banks and providers that process card payments) start publishing their merchant service fees each quarter. Card networks also start publishing their interchange and scheme fees. - **By 30 January 2027:** acquirers publish how much of the interchange reduction they've passed on to businesses. - **From 1 April 2027:** your payment statements include more information about your card costs. With this information public, you'll be able to see which providers pass savings on in full, and switch if yours doesn't. ---   ### What you can still charge The card surcharge ban only applies to fees added because a consumer pays by card. You can still charge fees that apply to everyone, no matter how they pay: - Weekend and public holiday surcharges applied to all consumers - Booking fees, a marketplace service fee, delivery fees and other service fees **Any and all fees must be clear.** Consumers should see fees before they commit to buy, and mandatory fees should be included in the total price. **Two things the ACCC has warned about:** 1. **Renaming a card surcharge.** Calling it a "processing fee" or "card handling fee" doesn't change what it is, and the ACCC has said this may be misleading conduct. 2. **Blaming a wider price rise on the surcharge change.** You're free to raise prices and to cover card costs through them. Say a $20.00 dish carried a 1% card surcharge. Building that cost in makes it $20.20. If you also raise it to $22.00 because produce and wage costs have risen, don't tell consumers the increase is only due to the surcharge change. ### Myths and facts **Myth:** I can call my card surcharge a service fee. **Fact:** If it's charged because a consumer pays by card, it's still a card surcharge. A genuine service fee applies whatever the payment method. **Myth:** Weekend and public holiday surcharges are banned. **Fact:** They're still allowed, as long as they apply to all consumers however they pay, and are clearly shown. **Myth:** American Express payments can still be surcharged. **Fact:** American Express, JCB, UnionPay and PayPal are all removing surcharging from 1 October 2026. **Myth:** I can still surcharge business customers. **Fact:** The rules apply to business payments in the same way as consumer payments. **Myth:** My card costs will drop automatically. **Fact:** Lower interchange only reaches you if your point-of-sale or payment provider passes it on. ### How Bopple supports you **Clear totals from the first view.** Consumers see a clear total before they pay, with any fees shown upfront and included in the price. **Update prices easily.** If you're adjusting prices, update your digital menus in Back Office in minutes, or through leading point-of-sale platform which have integrated such as Square and Lightspeed O-Series. Integrated menus drive the menus and pricing from the point-of-sale. **The Platform fee isn't a card surcharge.** It's the same whichever payment method a consumer uses, only applies to successful orders, and you choose whether to absorb it or pass it on. ### Common questions **When does the ban start?** 1 October 2026. **Which cards does it cover?** eftpos, Mastercard and Visa, plus American Express, JCB, UnionPay and PayPal. It covers credit, debit and prepaid cards, including commercial and corporate cards and cards in mobile wallets. **Can I still charge a weekend or public holiday surcharge?** Yes, if it applies to all consumers however they pay, and is clearly shown on your menu and at checkout. **Can I offer a discount for paying by cash?** Yes. Discounts for a particular payment method are allowed, as long as they're clearly shown before the consumer orders or pays, and your displayed price is the full price. **Does this affect New Zealand businesses?** No. These changes apply in Australia. 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