From 1 October 2026, businesses can no longer apply surcharges to payments made using eftpos, Mastercard, Visa or American Express. Card surcharges can continue to apply until 30 September 2026.
The changes are designed to give customers greater pricing certainty and transparency, making it easier to understand what they will pay before making a purchase.
Weekend, public holiday and other surcharges can still apply if they are clearly disclosed to customers. Businesses must also clearly communicate prices before a customer books, orders or buys a product or service.
The ACCC's pricing guidance focuses on helping customers understand what they will pay before making a purchase. For example:
- A convenience store displays a drink for $4.95 and the customer pays $4.95
- A business may still apply a public holiday surcharge if it is clearly disclosed, such as: ‘A 10% public holiday surcharge applies today.
Businesses that adjust prices because of the changes must not mislead customers about the reason for any price increase.
You can still offer discounts for payment methods such as cash or PayID, provided customers can easily understand which payment methods qualify and how much they will save.
Your merchant service provider may contact you if you need to update your EFTPOS terminals, online payment systems or payment settings. Check your junk or spam folders and do not ignore messages about the change. If you are unsure whether you need to take action, contact your merchant service provider directly.
To prepare for the changes:
- review your payment systems, merchant fees and pricing
- check menus, websites, booking systems, invoices and customer information
- follow instructions from your provider
- train staff and test changes on 1 October
- act early, as updates to systems and settings may take time.
