Card Payment Surcharges Banned in Australia from 2026

[esseeeayeenn]

But the accor site is the only one to list prices without tax. You go through expedia or other hotel chains and the price is all inclusive.

But if you click through to make a booking the taxes are clearly displayed before you pay or otherwise commit to the booking.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

But if you click through to make a booking the taxes are clearly displayed before you pay or otherwise commit to the booking.

That’s true. But it’s not how we display pricing in Australia. If you want to market in Australia, tailor your website to comply.

And the same with the credit card surcharge I had to pay a few weeks ago. I didn’t see it displayed or mentioned anywhere. I only noticed it on my bill.

 

[esseeeayeenn]

That’s true. But it’s not how we display pricing in Australia. If you want to market in Australia, tailor your website to comply.

And the same with the credit card surcharge I had to pay a few weeks ago. I didn’t see it displayed or mentioned anywhere. I only noticed it on my bill.

It's a global site, not an Australian site.

 

[Berlin]

I never paid a card fee at Coles or Woolworths.

That’s because both companies are well aware of the immense costs associated with cash payments, both staff hours and security costs/ actual losses.

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.

 

[AuSammy]

That’s because both companies are well aware of the immense costs associated with cash payments, both staff hours and security costs/ actual losses.

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.

For colesworth, not much point holding up the store since covid. Hardy any cash and what is there is largely locked up inside a couple scanning machines that would take too long to get open etc for an opportunist.

Even banks nowadays carry little cash compared to years ago.

Costs of business managing cash are largely underestimated by the general public.

A jeweler heist or servo or ATM filling contractor much easier pickings

 

[Mr_Orange]

A jeweler heist or servo or ATM filling contractor much easier pickings

Top tips from the soon to be arrested @AuSammy. Live footage coming to you from a 9 News truck....

 

[AuSammy]

Top tips from the soon to be arrested @AuSammy. Live footage coming to you from a 9 News truck....

For the current lazier generations scamming a widow for 10s or 100s ‘000s from the comfort of your laptop or internet cafe in a pretend long distance relationship or maybe an unsuspecting pensioner with an investment scam is more likely

 

[oz_mark]

That’s because both companies are well aware of the immense costs associated with cash payments, both staff hours and security costs/ actual losses.

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.

Coles and Woolworths run their own switches, so are basically operating as their own acquirers

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Costs of business managing cash are largely underestimated by the general public.

I’d suggest the costs of managing cash are largely underestimated by small business… with this rubbish of giving a discount for people paying cash rather than using cards

Got a pin email from my bank today… due to the RBA changes the interest rate in the CC is going from 21.99% to 23.99%.

So the banks/cards are still raking in the money!

 

[Cruiser Elite]

I’d suggest the costs of managing cash are largely underestimated by small business…

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

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Nothing easier than taking frroim customers and sticking in your wallet.

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

Not suggesting people are going to change their way of payment… it’s the businesses themselves trying to tell us that a 5% discount is worth the .3% they’re being charged for us to use a CC.

They know folk aren’t going to be coming in with wads of cash.

 

[Cruiser Elite]

They know folk aren’t going to be coming in with wads of cash.

But haven't I read multiple posts above of AFFers suggesting they will do so?

 

[MEL_Traveller]

But haven't I read multiple posts above of AFFers suggesting they will do so?

One or two maybe. I don’t think the majority are going to change.

The problem is with both the banks and small businesses - and some large ones - giving the customer the raw prawn!

 

[tgh]

Hard to see the linkage, even through the rose coloured bank glasses, but our card fees have just been raised, along with all the interest charges.
Blamed upon the removal of surcharge….

 

[OATEK]

It's all because of the RBA (apparently). This from Westpac:



The email starts off:

New rules introduced by the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) on 1 October 2026 changed the way credit cards work for businesses and customers.

As a result, we're contacting you to let you know about some upcoming changes to your Westpac Low Fee Platinum credit card ending in xx_x

 

[Berlin]

I’d suggest the costs of managing cash are largely underestimated by small business… with this rubbish of giving a discount for people paying cash rather than using cards

Totally- I know for a fact that Woolies at least know all about it to the last penny and would imagine most other big corporates do too.

Indeed not so much many small businesses- they might not even measure this in such detail: The occasional theft by staff goes unnoticed- I know from my time as a 16 year old at Meccas in the early 90ies that McDonald’s (at least back then) did not notice the occasional 50 Deutschmark note going mysteriously “missing” so all bets are off in a small coffee shop. Probably no one even thinks of measuring the time staff spends on handling cash and instead of heaving a security infrastructure, it’s the boss himself who personally slogs the cash to the closest post office or bank. Which goes all fine until it doesn’t and said boss encounters the wrong person at the wrong corner

 

[tgh]

..memories..
Once upon a time I paid the whole crew in Cash , lining up at the bank on Friday morning with my bag and list of required note values
Some days I could have made a thief very rich , parked under a shady tree filling my little envelopes with dosh...

 

[hydrabyss]

That’s because both companies are well aware of the immense costs associated with cash payments, both staff hours and security costs/ actual losses.

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.

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

 

[Happy Dude]

..memories..
Once upon a time I paid the whole crew in Cash , lining up at the bank on Friday morning with my bag and list of required note values
Some days I could have made a thief very rich , parked under a shady tree filling my little envelopes with dosh...

I have memories of lining up on Fridays for my little pay envelope in 1989. There was a little room/window inside the store, to the side. At Coles.

 

[torks]

Back in my day at Coles (late 2000's, early 2010's) we were told not to count 20c, 10c, and 5c pieces when balancing the register. The time spent doing it outweighed the benefit from getting an exact figure. We'd just look at the number of coins and take a guess.

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