Card payment sucharges banned in Australia from 2026

[Berlin]

Well, they can find sympathy in the dictionary somewhere between cough and syphilis.

I could not agree more! Nowhere else in the world outside of AUNZ are those surcharges even a thing and our prices here are not exactly cheap in comparison to more other places. So “small independent businesses” cry me a river.

 

[Freq Flier 2013]

Nev

When did that change? They always used to - at least I'm pretty sure that they did.

Never did have a cc charge. I used ShopBack to pay at CW as it was good for a small rebate but they got rid of it.

 

[Freq Flier 2013]

How did the same businesses absorb the fees prior to deregulation of fees? I don’t remember anyone complaining.

 

[lovestotravel]

I seriously just wonder how many here who are slamming existing businesses for adding a CC surcharge which they are and continue to be legally entitled to do so (until Oct 1, 2026) have actually ever run a business?

The answer is clearly NO..

 

[lovestotravel]

I could not agree more! Nowhere else in the world outside of AUNZ are those surcharges even a thing and our prices here are not exactly cheap in comparison to more other places. So “small independent businesses” cry me a river.

Fiji 3% is one example
NZ is another (as mentioned)
USA
Canada

 

[lovestotravel]

Or they could stop taking credit cards if the costs are too high.
But then they may discover that the cost of accepting cash is not 0....

They will simply increase prices for everyone!

 

[kpc]

I seriously just wonder how many here who are slamming existing businesses for adding a CC surcharge which they are and continue to be legally entitled to do so (until Oct 1, 2026) have actually ever run a business?

I was not going to say anything but it seems silence is interpreted as not having run a business!

I have a shared business. We don’t charge a surcharge for credit cards but don’t accept Amex. We do accept cash reluctantly due to previous theft issues unfortunately.

 

[serfty]

[Moderator hat]

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[/moderator hat]

 

[drron]

I had a private practice on the Sunshine Coast from 1994 to 2006 I accepted Amex as they charged me the same as Visa and MC. My colleagues wouldn’t believe me. I never had a surcharge for any CC.
I know that I had a couple of patients who saw me because I took Amex.

 

[Berlin]

Fiji 3% is one example
NZ is another (as mentioned)
USA
Canada

What are you talking about? When did a hotel in Canada or the US last slam a credit card fee on you? Not going to happen, unless in very rare circumstances and probably dodgy small businessses…

 

[moa999]

Speaking to someone in the terminal industry tonight. From this week you might start seeing 0% fees at some of the larger merchants.

It's obviously a massive job to change rates on all of the terminals so many merchants are doing it in batches each night over the next fortnight.

 

[Mr_Orange]

I'm more interested in the small businesses unless their terminal providers will do it automatically.

 

[KitKat]

Will QF remove surcharge? or enhance our experience!

 

[Happy Dude]

Will QF remove surcharge? or enhance our experience!

Asked earlier, but they have to. Seems like we'll never be able to tell if they add the fee into the equation.

 

[Berlin]

Qantas, hotel chains and ALDI not pushing these dodgy surcharges onto us- that alone makes it worthwhile, even if there are issues at first.

Hotels alone will save me a fortune and they certainly do not surcharge anywhere outside of Australia/ New Zealand. Same with ALDI (who also accept Amex in many places like the US or UK).

 

[LondonAussie]

Having used my Amex at Aldi in the UK, and across Europe, with no surcharge of course, I was surprised Aldi didn’t even accept Amex in Australia.

Hotels are also a bugbear for me, there’s often no other way to pay or even check in without a card. How they’ve been getting away with adding a card surcharge I’m not sure. But it doesn’t give me much confidence this will end on 1 October. What they’re doing is already technically illegal? Nowhere else in the world, besides NZ, would this be acceptable.

Australia has been an global outlier and international anomaly on this. I’m surprised to see many are advocating for that to continue.