CREDIT CARD MERCHANT FEES

WHAT IS CHANGING?

As of 1 October 2026, new legislation surrounding credit card surcharges have come into effect throughout Australia.

The legislation mandates that businesses cannot pass on payment processing costs, known as the ‘Merchant Fee’, directly to customers as a ‘Surcharge’ for credit card payments.

This ruling fundamentally changes the current process of accepting card payments.

❓ WHAT WILL HAPPEN NOW?

As of 1 October 2026, Experience Travel & Cruise will no longer accept payments made by credit card where a surcharge occurs. Instead, Clients can pay by Debit Card where possible.

If paying by Debit Card does not work for you, please let me know prior to confirming your reservation.

❓ WHAT REMAINS THE SAME?

Since 1 July 2026, the Professional Service Fee that we charge on call reservations will remain the same. For more information on our Professional Service Fees, please visit our website.

❓ WHAT TYPES OF SURCHARGES DO THESE CHANGES APPLY TO?

The changes only apply to surcharges added because a customer pays by card. They do not apply to weekend surcharges, public holiday surcharges, or booking fees or service fees.

The changes apply to card payment surcharges on transactions on designated card networks (eftpos, Mastercard and Visa). A surcharge in the context of card payments is an extra fee charged by a merchant to a consumer for using a particular card to pay for a transaction.

Payment service providers set their own pricing for the card acquiring (or card acceptance) services they provide businesses. This may include fees for renting payment terminals, processing transactions or other payments-related offerings. These are fees for services provided and are not considered payment surcharges. The changes to remove card payment surcharging do not apply to these types of fees.

❓ WHICH CARD NETWORKS REMOVED SURCHARGING FROM 1 OCTOBER 2026?

The three designated card networks, eftpos, Mastercard and Visa, each decided to introduce ‘no-surcharge’ rules from 1 October 2026.

American Express, UnionPay and PayPal have also decided to remove surcharging. These firms are not currently subject to formal regulation by the RBA.

❓ MORE INFORMATION

Please be patient as more information is rolled out over the next few days. Should you need more information, please do not hesitate to contact me at hello@experiencetravelcruise.com.au

https://www.rba.gov.au/payments-and-infrastructure/review-of-retail-payments-regulation/2026-03/conclusions-paper/faqs/