Card Payment Surcharges Banned in Australia from 2026

[DC3]

They knew the cost of cash back then, so for them the more card payments they receive the more accurate and cheaper it is.

 

[transpactraveller]

That’s why I never quite understood why ALDI did it (only in Australia but nowhere else), must have seen attractive to them as an easy way to make more money somehow? Admittedly, their stores are also much smaller footprint which might help bring security costs down.

This is what always confused me, global business, especially hotel chains, that surcharged in Austalia/NZ but nowhere else on Earth.

 

[drron]

My feelings are that Coles doesn’t want to investigate small theft. A delivery driver from Uber obviously picked up my online order on Sunday and kept it. He messaged me that I should just cancel and get a full refund.
The Coles fellow on their driver problem hotline didn’t even want to know the phone number saying we know this occurs sometimes.

 

[dajop]

It has been a while but if I remember ALDI did not charge for card payments when selecting EFTPOS savings.

Correct. IMHO Aldi adopted an entirely reasonable approach. The surcharge was 0 for EFTPOS (which is fundamentally the right thing) and modest for credit and debit cards .

 

[oz_mark]

My feelings are that Coles doesn’t want to investigate small theft. A delivery driver from Uber obviously picked up my online order on Sunday and kept it. He messaged me that I should just cancel and get a full refund.
The Coles fellow on their driver problem hotline didn’t even want to know the phone number saying we know this occurs sometimes.

They do keep track of these things though. While they may let one occurrence go, they will pick up if there are repeated issues.

 

[pandadude]

Note this doesn't apply to Taxi. Taxi are governed by state law.

 

[albyd]

No cost and nothing easier than taking from customers and sticking in your wallet.

If you dudes think much more than a piddling % of cash receipts generated by offering a 5% discount will be reported have clearly have never operated a business and are living in fantasy land

I guess that’s it. I can’t see that offering a 5-10% discount for cash makes any sense in comparison to card acceptance costs unless the merchant is ‘forgetting’ to declare that revenue to the tax authorities.

 

[ellen10]

I'm looking at paying a deposit for something to a Travel agent.

Payment options are:
- direct deposit
- Credit card, which has a 0.80% platform fee? Is this a new terminology?

 

[Jacques Vert]

I'm looking at paying a deposit for something to a Travel agent.

Payment options are:
- direct deposit
- Credit card, which has a 0.80% platform fee? Is this a new terminology?

Refuse to pay it and report them

 

[Cruiser Elite]

But name them here firstly please

 

[Zero]

I'm looking at paying a deposit for something to a Travel agent.

Payment options are:
- direct deposit
- Credit card, which has a 0.80% platform fee? Is this a new terminology?

If they said the card price was the "real" price but offered 0.8% off for bank transfer, that would be perfectly acceptable.

 

[JessicaTam]

[mod hat]
This thread is specifically concerned with credit card surchages in Australia.

It is not for cheap flights to Europe discussion.
[/mod hat]

 

[MEL_Traveller]

This is what always confused me, global business, especially hotel chains, that surcharged in Austalia/NZ but nowhere else on Earth.

The ‘Australia tax’!

 

[mel-world]

Seen 3 or 4 Chinese establishments today offering 5% off the menu prices for cash now; more than previously. Many have always preferred cash and usually gave you a discount but more seem to be doing it now. I maybe old fashioned but don't want anyone operating completely in a cash economy although we used to all do that. Everyone should pay their tax, even if they legitimately minimise the amount they pay.

 

[Pushka]

Seen 3 or 4 Chinese establishments today offering 5% off the menu prices for cash now; more than previously. Many have always preferred cash and usually gave you a discount but more seem to be doing it now. I maybe old fashioned but don't want anyone operating completely in a cash economy although we used to all do that. Everyone should pay their tax, even if they legitimately minimise the amount they pay.

Yes. Today at our Fav Thai restauarant it was 5% for cash. I do not equate cash payments with cheating on Tax.