Card surcharges ended on 1 October 2026.
If you used to add a card fee, it now belongs in your prices. Paste your menu and see the new numbers in seconds.
Reprice my menuIn short
Since 1 October 2026 Australian venues can no longer add a card surcharge to eftpos, Visa or Mastercard payments under the Reserve Bank of Australia's rules, and Amex has dropped card surcharges too. It applies to restaurants, bars, food trucks and every other venue that added a card fee. Venues that used to add one should now fold the card cost into their listed prices.
Sources: RBA FAQ - removal of payment surcharges and Small Business Ombudsman (ASBFEO) - card surcharging help · Last reviewed
What changes
- Since 1 October you cannot add a fee for paying by eftpos, Visa, Mastercard or Amex.
- You can still build that cost into your prices - the RBA says so.
- Ordering-app service fees are not surcharges and are not affected.
Key facts
- In force since
- 1 October 2026
- Who decided
- Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), payments regulation review, March 2026 conclusions
- Cards covered
- eftpos, Visa and Mastercard under the RBA rule, plus Amex, which dropped card surcharges too
- Who it applies to
- Any Australian business that adds a fee for paying by card
- Not affected
- Weekend and public-holiday surcharges, and ordering-app service fees
- What to do
- Reprice your menu so the card cost sits inside the listed price
Two things people mix up
- Card surcharge
- A fee added at the terminal for paying by card. Banned since 1 October 2026.
- Weekend or holiday surcharge
- A time-based percentage on the whole bill. Not part of the ban; still allowed and still shown on the menu.
Reprice your menu
Using Square? In your Square Dashboard open your Item library, then Actions, then Export library. Pick Excel or CSV, then upload the file here.
Lightspeed and most other tills can export an item list as CSV or Excel too.
Questions, answered
Your order, ready when you arrive. Built in Melbourne.
