Card payment sucharges banned in Australia from 2026

[SeaWolf]

companies where card payments always were an integral part of the business model (chain hotels and rental car companies as prime examples). Card surcharges are just drip pricing. These industries have always preferred the drip pricing approach.

The one that has really irritated me is Rex. Their surcharge free payment option is to go to the airport check in counters and do the booking in person with cash. All online payment methods have a surcharge and there's a 1% "handling fee" on top of that for using the website to make the booking (rather than the airport counter).

Fees and surcharges

It's obvious that no one is going to drive to airport with a wad of cash just to make the booking (it'd cost you more in parking than the surcharge) and I reckon even if you did the airport check in counters would probably have no idea how to handle a cash booking or have change on hand. It's pure drip pricing.
These sort of shenanigans is probably a key reason why about 60% of poll respondents on here are glad to see the back of the surcharges, even if it does mean the credit card points game will not be as lucrative in future.