Card payment surcharges

FAQs

• Can I still surcharge customers?
  No. From 1 October 2026, businesses cannot charge customers an additional fee for paying by card unless expressly permitted by law or regulation.
• Which card payments can no longer be surcharged?
  Applies to most card payments, including debit, prepaid and credit cards.

  • Mastercard Debit and Prepaid
  • Mastercard Credit
  • Visa Debit and Prepaid
  • Visa Credit
  • eftpos Debit and Prepaid
  • American Express and JCB
  • UnionPay.
• I use a third-party POS, what should I do?
  If you use third-party payment solutions, such as an integrated Point of Sale (POS) system, shopping cart or online payment gateway, check that any card surcharging functionality has been disabled. If surcharging is still enabled, contact your provider as soon as possible to update your settings and prevent card surcharges from being applied.
• Can I charge another fee instead?
  No. Under the RBA's surcharging reforms, a fee cannot be charged simply because a customer chooses to pay by card, regardless of the name given to that fee, if that fee is linked to the use of a card payment. 

  Given the regulatory considerations, merchants should obtain independent legal advice before introducing any new fees or charges.
• Will my terminal continue to work now that card surcharging has been removed?
  Yes. Your terminal should continue to process payments as normal. If you use a Bank of Melbourne terminal, surcharging functionality has been disabled where applicable. To help ensure everything runs smoothly, please make sure your terminal is running the latest software updates. If you experience any issues, contact our Merchant Helpdesk on 1300 603 266 (available 24/7).
• How do I correct an accidental surcharge?
  If you accidentally apply a card surcharge after 1 October 2026, you should refund the surcharge amount to the customer as soon as possible. The refund should be processed using your usual refund process and should clearly relate to the surcharge that was charged in error.

  If the surcharge was applied through a third-party POS, gateway, online checkout or invoicing platform, contact your provider to update your settings and prevent further surcharges from being applied.

  For recurring payments, subscriptions or invoices that cover periods before and after 1 October 2026, check that any card surcharge is removed from payments taken on or after 1 October 2026. If a surcharge has already been charged in error, refund the surcharge component to the customer.

  If you need help, contact the Merchant Helpdesk on 1300 603 266 (available 24/7) or speak with your relationship manager.
• How do interchange fee changes affect me?
  Under the RBA’s reforms, domestic interchange fee caps will reduce from 1 October 2026, followed by international interchange fee caps from 1 April 2027. The impact on your card acceptance costs will depend on your pricing arrangement, payment provider and transaction mix. For our eligible Flat Transaction Rate customers, rates will reduce from 1.20% to 0.79% for terminal and PayWay products, and from 1.40% to 1.25% for Online Pay. Any changes to pricing will be directly notified to merchants.
• What happens to my current pricing?
  The impact of the reforms will depend on your current pricing model, the types of card transactions your business accepts, and any changes that apply to your merchant facility. Where changes to your pricing apply, we will notify you directly, including the effective date and what the change means for your pricing. You can access this information through your usual Bank of Melbourne merchant communication channel, such as email or letter.
• Are public holiday /Sunday surcharges affected?
  No. The reforms only apply to surcharges applied because a customer chooses to pay with a card. They do not apply to weekend surcharges, public holiday surcharges, or booking fees or service fees.
• Can I charge service fees?
  Yes. Fees that are not linked to the use of a card payment are not impacted by the reforms.
• Do I need to change my product pricing?
  You may wish to review your product pricing to ensure it reflects all relevant business costs.
• Can I offer discounts for cash or other payment methods?
  The reforms do not prevent businesses from offering discounts, provided they comply with applicable laws and regulations.
• Are there any exceptions?
  Bank of Melbourne will only enable card surcharging for eligible merchant categories where card surcharging is expressly permitted by applicable law or regulation and in compliance with card scheme rules e.g. taxis. If you are unsure whether your business qualifies, you should seek independent legal advice.