Card payment sucharges banned in Australia from 2026

[Berlin]

Yea, they charged me a 20 cent “service fee” on every schooner at a pub in the Sydney CBD yesterday, clearly to make up for the cc surcharge they used to have.

I suspect this to happen left right centre at first- businesses just re-naming the fees. Which, here comes the real issue, of course will never be properly investigated in this country

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Yea, they charged me a 20 cent “service fee” on every schooner at a pub in the Sydney CBD yesterday, clearly to make up for the cc surcharge they used to have.

I suspect this to happen left right centre at first- businesses just re-naming the fees. Which, here comes the real issue, of course will never be properly investigated in this country

But the service fee was incorporated into the advertised price? Not added at the time of checkout?

 

[SeaWolf]

I suspect this to happen left right centre at first- businesses just re-naming the fees. Which, here comes the real issue, of course will never be properly investigated in this country

Are you going to report it though? I get that people are frustrated about businesses doing the wrong thing and, seemingly, nothing being done about it, but the regulators can't be everywhere at once and rely on us to report these things when they happen.

Reporting to the ACCC is useful to inform them that there's an issue and that they may need to do broader education and enforcement, but if you want it to be investigated you'll need to approach your state's Fair Trading entity. They have the resources to investigate individual complaints.

 

[Berlin]

Well, it was a pub so not entirely sure what was advertised. Actually no, not- it was the same “$8.50 during Happy Hour” sign on the wall they’ve always had. And then the 20 cent came on top via the card machine, exactly the same as the 2% card surcharge. Per transaction, so for the two of us it still was a tiny “saving” but still…

Are you going to report it though?

If it really makes a difference, then I’m happy to do so- I go there once a week so will ask for a proper invoice next time for evidence.

 

[serfty]

No doubt there will be business trying to recoup the revenue these fees generated.

In the end market/legislative forces will win out and generally these "<insert whatever name>" fees will disappear and be incorporated into advertised prices, becoming a cost of doing business.

A bit like when GST was introduced; many businesses began advertising headline prices as $xx_ + GST. It took some time before the realisation hit that the $xx_ had to include GST and they could be fined for not doing so.

 

[Happy Dude]

Here's my receipt from the Hellenic Club in Canberra from earlier this week. No such fee was added to the food bill, which was ordered at a counter and processed by a different entity, so who's to say it's a card fee by another name, or a fee for using the 'order at table' app?

 

[dairyfloss]

Here's my receipt from the Hellenic Club in Canberra from earlier this week. No such fee was added to the food bill, which was ordered at a counter and processed by a different entity, so who's to say it's a card fee by another name, or a fee for using the 'order at table' app?

View attachment 522351

3% is pretty hefty for a surcharge replacement, if that's what it is

 

[Doctore1003]

Here's my receipt from the Hellenic Club in Canberra from earlier this week. No such fee was added to the food bill, which was ordered at a counter and processed by a different entity, so who's to say it's a card fee by another name, or a fee for using the 'order at table' app?

View attachment 522351

Fees for ordering via QR code / at the table have been pretty common for a while.

 

[Cruiser Elite]

Fees for ordering via QR code / at the table have been pretty common for a while.

Seriously? So you the customer does the work a waiter would normally do and you get charged for the privilege? Seriously? Who in their right mind would go back again?

Or am I misinterpreting above post?

FTR: I have only ever ordered any items in a restaurant via QR code once and that was for s bottle of Champagne at a restaurant on Southbank MEL - it took so long to come out we had to check AMEX online to see cost was posted to understand if order was processed - we drank it and walked out - never again

 

[Doctore1003]

if you want it to be investigated you'll need to approach your state's Fair Trading entity. They have the resources to investigate individual complaints.

This is not true. Consumer protection / fair trading agencies don’t get involved in individual disputes, except in some cases to offer to help with voluntary conciliation.

I agree with the earlier comment that notifying the ACCC is a good idea if a business breaks the rules for possible education / enforcement action.

Card surcharges

Businesses can currently charge a surcharge for paying by card. If a business charges a payment surcharge, it must be able to prove the costs it's based on. If there's no way to pay without a surcharge, the surcharge must be included in the displayed price.

www.accc.gov.au

 

[Mr_Orange]

Fees for ordering via QR code / at the table have been pretty common for a while.

I can't stand these either. There is less staff interaction, therefore the cost to the business is less so why pay more? Of course, because the app is 3rd party supplied and they need to take their slice which the business just passes on to the consumer. I avoid the at-table apps, where possible.

 

[OZDUCK]

I tried one at the pub in York last night. I was fairly slow doing it and of course I ignored the suggestion to give a tip for me lodging the ordering myself.

 

[Captain Halliday]

Are you going to report it though?

If it really makes a difference, then I’m happy to do so- I go there once a week so will ask for a proper invoice next time for evidence.

Reporting to the ACCC can’t hurt.

I suspect leaving a review (Google review or similar) may have more immediate impact.

 

[Berlin]

I suspect leaving a review (Google review or similar) may have more immediate impact.

That’s done already, rest assured! I’m dealing with customer surveys and the likes in my work life so I’m a serial feedfacker in my personal life as well

 

[Berlin]

Fees for ordering via QR code / at the table have been pretty common for a while.

These systems have been bugging me for ages. It’s usually a pain for staff, you never know if it goes faster or slower than walking up to the bar and then they even want a fee for the “service”!

Worst if they’re trying to force you to order via one of those- had this in Chile the other week, pretty much no bar or restaurant in central Santiago that won’t force you to order via some app! I even saw a waiter helping a poor elderly couple who were clearly out of their depth with it and it took about half an hour of the staff’s time to sort their order Wait staff is probably cheap in Chile but still…

 

[Happy Dude]

Fees for ordering via QR code / at the table have been pretty common for a while.

Yep. I looked at an older receipt which said "processing & service fee", neither of which explicitly says card surcharge. But it's reasonable to conclude that a card processing fee is probably wrapped up in the "service" fee.

As @Berlin was suggesting, replacing "card surcharge" with "service fee" or some such is about to become a lot more popular. As long as the fee appears before the pay total. Like tipping. It's clearly not part of the menu item and may or may not include the cost of using a QR code.

 

[Berlin]

I wonder what ALDI, insurance providers and utilities like Sydney Water will do- surely those big ones will not get away with just re-naming their credit card fees something else? Coincidentally, that’s often the ones who flat out denied American Express payments so I’m quite giddy to at least not having to pay a surcharge for the “benefit” of not being able to use my preferred mode of payment. Medibank Private are the worst of the pack in my eyes.

The 10c at a little corner cafe I might ignore for the first month or two but any of those? Nah. They’ll get reported instantly and I’d hope I’m not the only one doing that.

 

[burmans]

The way the legislation is written is in functional terms (eg a fee for using a card), so in my opinion the answer is that just renaming won’t work. But no doubt some will try!

 

[MelbFlyer]

I went to my local chemist today and the terminal had at the bottom in a red banner 'surcharging disabled'.

 

[Seat0B]

Well today got notice that the kids canteen ordering system will increase the order fee from 1 October - so everyone gets an increase regardless whether funding was using a card or one of their fee-free options. This is after another order fee increase in the past 12 months!

Apparently this ordering system is owned by a Big 4 (part owned by a couple of large) bank(s) and has coverage of 1 million kids. Sure likely they will profit from this 'one-off' change.

Edit: for a bit more googled accuracy

Feeling my age as I read this. The Seat kids canteen ordering system was to write the order on a brown paper bag and insert cash to cover the cost into the bag. Smart parents had the right money because although the canteen gave change, somehow that change never made its way back to me. I really must be getting old!