Card payment sucharges banned in Australia from 2026

[Captain Halliday]

Good point.

Do you know if takeaways allow you to bring your own containers? I never thought about it but it would be a great way to reduce the use of those containers.

BYO coffee coups was very common before covid.

The BYO keep-cup trend hasn’t returned, at least at the places I visit.

 

[MooTime]

7-11 allow bring your own coffee cup to use in store. Also for the Slurpee section you can buy a 7-11 bottle for $8 and use that each full for same price of $1. Instead of using the paper /plastic cups and rubbish paper straws.

 

[Waddygib]

Coffee cups sure - that's what I normally do. Actually I'd be a fan of charging for takeaway cups. But never occurred to me that you could do it with food containers.

 

[VPS]

Most places wont do split billing.
If eating in a group, the booker pays the whole kit and all
Then the rest pays him/her.

I don't know where you eat out but rarely do I find somewhere that doesn't let you split the bill in Adelaide even if they say no split bill

 

[VPS]

Just sent an email to the restaurant I used last night and reminded them of the need to notify about surcharge. I'll see if I get a response

 

[Peter D]

I don't know where you eat out but rarely do I find somewhere that doesn't let you split the bill in Adelaide even if they say no split bill

Same in Melbourne.
Group breakfasts or lunches, just tell them what you had as you leave and they just press the buttons. Menus are on the computer or an intelligent till.

 

[mel-world]

We are getting OT here but I was behind a big group the other day paying at an upmarket restaurant where they were trying to get the cashier to not only split the food bill per customer but also split multiple bottles of wine three ways. It just got far too complicated.

And just hope restaurants don't go the way of airlines, concerts and sporting event with a menu based on dynamic pricing with higher costs for food and drinks on busy nights!!

 

[Waddygib]

It is only thanks to dynamic pricing that people can claim ridiculous valuations for frequent flyer points, so maybe there is an upside to rolling it out to dining?

 

[Happy Dude]

Most places wont do split billing.
If eating in a group, the booker pays the whole kit and all
Then the rest pays him/her.

Most?

Maybe I need to get out more, but I've never had an issue with tossing down a few cards and asking them to spread the cost evenly.

Separate bills on the other hand..... "I only had an entre sized meal, desert and didn't drink any of the wine"

Back OT, I was at Manly Wharf last weekend and it was bursting/chockers. We found a few seats in a bar seating area and ordered via the QR code. No idea which of the venues actually provided our drinks or where the bar was even, but there was no way to avoid the card payment fee. I assume that someone has posted of this type of situation previously.

 

[AuSammy]

We found a few seats in a bar seating area and ordered via the QR code

Yes, I've seen this in a few restaurants where there is no ordering table service and order via QR only and pay before delivery so the only real option is to pay by card unless you are going to make a fuss or double the effort to order then go to cash register to pay then get your order ratified so it gets cooked

but I've never had an issue with tossing down a few cards and asking them to spread the cost evenly.

Yes equal sharing 50/50 usually is accepted in most places.

The issue is a large group of people some with drinks some without some with entrees, some with sweets, and the tying up of the staff member and cash register while it all gets sorted out and someone forgets they ordered this or that and there is a leftover amount when the last person goes to pay. Busy restaurants understandably hate this carry-on.

 

[VPS]

Staying OT but anyone that tries to split meals rather than just say the bill is $400 - I'm paying $100, so is B and C is paying $200 should be declined

 

[Cruiser Elite]

The issue is a large group of people some with drinks some without some with entrees, some with sweets, and the tying up of the staff member and cash register while it all gets sorted out and someone forgets they ordered this or that and there is a leftover amount when the last person goes to pay. Busy restaurants AFF get-together organisers understandably hate this carry-on.

You only fall for this so many times

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

Sofitel Adelaide and a lot of Asian food pkaces still have the 1.00165% or even 1.0018% cc surcharge.
Some evrn still have the $0.50 cc surcharge, irme the newsagency.

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

I don't know where you eat out but rarely do I find somewhere that doesn't let you split the bill in Adelaide even if they say no split bill

Used to see a lot of those.
---
On mobile on road (not driving tho), but Google has some blah about its only in Aus that [its no split billing].

 

[serfty]

Good point.

Do you know if takeaways allow you to bring your own containers? I never thought about it but it would be a great way to reduce the use of those containers.

Back in the day, you took saucepans to a chinese restaurant and they would fill 'em up with takeaway chop suey, chow mein and the like.

 

[transpactraveller]

On mobile on road (not driving tho), but Google has some blah about its only in Aus that [its no split billing].

Yeah never had an issue anywhere but in Australia.

In most places it's part of normal service to ask if you would like to pay together or separately.

 

[AuSammy]

In most places it's part of normal service to ask if you would like to pay together or separately.

That's a key point. If the staff are aware before orders are placed that a split bill has been requested, its much less of an issue when it come time to pay.

 

[Zero]

That's a key point. If the staff are aware before orders are placed that a split bill has been requested, its much less of an issue when it come time to pay.

In (most of) the rest of the world there isn't any need to tell staff in advance.

In the UK some restaurants even automatically print the bill with the amount per person.

Obviously it may be different for a large table where everyone wants to pay for the exact things they've ordered - that gets complicated quickly

 

[transpactraveller]

That's a key point. If the staff are aware before orders are placed that a split bill has been requested, its much less of an issue when it come time to pay.

Yeah I've had this a few times overseas and thought it was really smart. They ask before ordering if you're planning to pay separately and then they take individual orders and bring everyone their own individual bill at the end.

But also when they don't ask at the start, it's still never a problem, they're always happy to do it. Back in Australia for some reason they act like you've asked if you can murder their mother if you ask to pay separately.

 

[Mr_Orange]

Staying OT but anyone that tries to split meals rather than just say the bill is $400 - I'm paying $100, so is B and C is paying $200 should be declined

I don't exactly follow you, however, a long term mate of mine back in the Motherland would always try and itemise the bill when he had not consumed alcohol and split the bill in equal payments if he had.

Alcohol adds a significant chunk to an individuals spend, often doubling it, or more. If there are non-drinkers, they should not be expected to pay their 'fair share' of everyone else's alcohol.