Card surcharges ended on 1 October. Has your website caught up?

Since 1 October 2026, Australian businesses can’t add a surcharge to card payments. The Reserve Bank decided that surcharging on eftpos, Mastercard and Visa debit and credit cards should end from that date, and business.gov.au lists American Express as covered too.

From the same date the Reserve Bank is lowering the most that businesses can be charged in interchange fees on debit and consumer credit card payments. It expects that to reduce card payment costs, especially for small businesses.

Switching off the surcharge on your card terminal is the obvious step. The notices that get missed are usually online.

Where old surcharge notices hide

• Your website. Price lists, booking and checkout pages, the FAQ (“Is there a fee for paying by card?”), footer notes and your terms and conditions.
• Quotes and invoices. Templates in quoting and accounting software often carry a card-fee line that nobody looks at any more.
• Your Google Business Profile. The business description, older posts and the prices in your services or products list.
• Booking and ordering tools. Online booking systems, ordering apps and menus can add a fee automatically.
• Social media. Bios, pinned posts and highlights.
• Signs. At the counter, on the door, in the waiting room or on the van.

What to do this week

1. Search your own website for “surcharge”, “card fee” and “%”. You can also search Google for site:yourwebsite.com.au surcharge.
2. Update your quote and invoice templates, so every new quote goes out right.
3. Ask your payment provider what your card costs are now, and check that nothing still adds a surcharge automatically.
4. Review your prices once. If card fees used to be passed on as a surcharge, your prices now need to cover them. Doing it once is easier than absorbing the cost job by job.
5. Update your Google profile, and post a short update telling customers you don’t charge card fees.

Why this is an SEO job too

Google’s own advice for ranking well in local results starts with complete, accurate and current business information. A price page that still mentions a surcharge is a small thing, but it’s the kind of detail that makes a customer wonder what else is out of date.

This is general information, not financial or legal advice. For your own situation, talk to your payment provider or accountant.