Australia's surcharge rules are changing

Here's what that means for our software platform partners.

Updated on 28 July 2026

From 1 October 2026, businesses in Australia will no longer be permitted to apply a surcharge to Visa, Mastercard, eftpos or American Express (Amex) card payments.

What this means for software partners

As merchants prepare for these changes, they're likely to have questions about payment pricing, surcharging and what the reforms mean for their business.

Software partners don't need to become payment pricing specialists, but they do need enough understanding to guide conversations with confidence and know where to direct merchants for further information.

This Resource Centre brings together the latest approved messaging, FAQs and educational resources to help you support your merchants before and after the reforms take effect.

The two dates partners need to understand

Date What changes Who is affected
1 July 2026 Newly onboarded merchants are no longer supported to apply card surcharging through Ezidebit. This change is reflected in our systems. New merchant applications and partner onboarding, sales, marketing and customer communications.
1 October 2026 Businesses in Australia will no longer be permitted to apply a surcharge to Visa, Mastercard or eftpos card payments. Amex has separately announced the same outcome from this date. Existing merchants who currently surcharge, software experiences, merchant communications and support processes.

What should partners tell merchants today?

Focus on these messages:


  • Payment fees aren't disappearing. Businesses will continue to incur payment processing costs when customers pay by card.
  • From 1 October 2026, card surcharging on Visa, Mastercard, eftpos and Amex payments will no longer be permitted.
  • This is an industry-wide transition. Changing payment providers will not alter the requirement.
  • Existing merchants do not need to make an immediate change, but should begin reviewing whether they surcharge, how much surcharge revenue they receive and how payment costs are managed.
  • Newly onboarded merchants have not been supported to apply card surcharging since 1 July 2026.


What we've communicated to merchants

Our latest merchant communications are designed to help businesses understand:


  • What is changing and what is not changing.
  • That payment processing fees will continue to apply.
  • How to identify whether they currently apply a surcharge.
  • How to estimate the surcharge revenue their business currently receives.
  • What they should be thinking about now.

Partners can share the merchant article and direct customers to the Merchant Resource Hub for further guidance.

Partner Messaging & FAQ Guide

Use the Partner Messaging & FAQ Guide when discussing the reforms with merchants or preparing your sales, onboarding and support teams.

The guide includes:


  • The key messages to share with merchants.
  • What changed from 1 July and what changes from 1 October.
  • Common merchant questions and suggested responses.
  • Messaging to avoid.
  • Approved resources and escalation guidance.
Download the Partner Messaging & FAQ Guide

What partners should review now


  • Sales and go-to-market messaging for new merchants
  • Onboarding journeys, forms and customer communications
  • Customer-facing references to surcharging, payer-pays, fee recovery or card cost pass-through
  • Marketing, product and sales collateral used to acquire or onboard merchants
  • Support guidance and escalation processes for merchant questions.

Partner FAQs

What changed from 1 July 2026?

Newly onboarded merchants are no longer supported to apply card surcharging. This is part of our phased transition ahead of the broader changes taking effect on 1 October 2026.

Card surcharging on Visa, Mastercard and eftpos payments ends under the RBA reforms. Amex has separately announced that surcharging on Amex card transactions will also end from this date.

No. Businesses will generally continue to incur payment processing costs when customers pay by card.

Avoid saying payment fees are disappearing, costs will reduce, merchants must increase prices, changing providers will avoid the change, or that everything will be handled automatically.

Do not speculate. Use the approved Partner Messaging & FAQ Guide, direct the merchant to the Resource Hub, or contact your Partner Manager or support team.

Further guidance will be provided when impacts are confirmed. Do not make commitments or assumptions about individual merchant pricing or product changes before approved information is available.

Need help?

If you are unsure how the reforms apply to a particular merchant, product or onboarding scenario, contact your Partner Manager or our support team via 1300 763 256 or [email protected]