RBA surcharge changes explained

On 31 March 2026, the RBA announced the following changes: 

  • Removing surcharging on debit, prepaid and credit cards on designated card networks
  • Lowering caps on interchange fees paid by Australian businesses
  • Increasing reporting requirements for acquirers to publish the fees they charge

From 1 October 2026, your business will no longer be able to apply surcharges to payments made using eftpos, Mastercard or Visa cards in line with changes announced by the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA).

American Express, JCB and UnionPay have confirmed it supports the RBA's payment reforms and are working to remove surcharging from the same date. 

Read more on the RBA website

What you need to do before 1 October 2026

If your business currently applies card surcharges, you will need to:

Remove surcharge settings across all payment acceptance channels including:

  • EFTPOS terminals
  • Point-of-sale (POS) systems
  • Practice Management Software (PMS) systems
  • Payment gateways
  • Integrated payment solutions

Got a CommBank EFTPOS terminal? Learn how to disable surcharging.

Make sure your staff understand the changes and know how to help customers with any questions.

Run a test transaction across your payment channels to confirm card surcharges are no longer being applied.

Update customer-facing materials that refer to card surcharges, including:

  • Websites
  • Invoices
  • Pricing displays
  • Receipts
  • Signage

New interchange fee caps

The RBA is reducing the caps on interchange fees on 1 October 2026 for Australian-issued cards and 1 April 2027 for foreign issued cards.

CommBank will pass on the changes by automatically adjusting the interchange fees paid by merchants on Interchange Plus and Interchange Plus Plus pricing plans (excluding GST).

If your business is a charity, your 0% interchange fee remains unchanged.

CommBank will provide notice ahead of any changes to your merchant fees.

 

Interchange fees are set by card schemes (such as Visa and Mastercard) that apply each time a customer makes a card payment to your business.

These fees are passed on as part of your overall merchant fees and shown in the ‘Billing of your interchange fee’ section of your monthly merchant statement.

  • Australian-issued eftpos, Mastercard and Visa debit and prepaid cards: Interchange rate set at a maximum 0.16% or $0.08 (down from 0.20% or $0.10)
  • Australian-issued Mastercard and Visa consumer credit cards: Interchange rate set at a maximum of 0.30%
  • Australian-issued Mastercard and Visa commercial credit cards: Interchange rate maintained at a maximum of 0.80%

Foreign-issued Mastercard and Visa credit, debit and prepaid cards: New interchange rate set at a maximum of 1.00%

New transparency measures

The RBA is introducing new transparency requirements to enhance merchants' understanding of the fees they pay for accepting card payments.

30 October 2026

CommBank will publish its first quarterly Merchant Service Fees report (covering July–September 2026).

30 January 2027

CommBank will publish its first quarterly Interchange Pass-Through Rate report (covering October–December 2026).

From April 2027

Your merchant statements will include updated, standardised cost-of-acceptance information in an enhanced monthly format.

Surcharging FAQs

 

 

A surcharge is an extra fee a business may add to a customer’s bill to recover the cost of accepting a debit or credit card payment.

From 1 October 2026, businesses will no longer be able to add this fee to payments made using eftpos, Mastercard or Visa cards. American Express, JCB and UnionPay have confirmed it supports the RBA's payment reforms and are working to remove surcharging from the same date. 

Read more on card surcharging.

Look at all the ways you take payments, including your:

  • EFTPOS terminals
  • Connected systems like a POS or Practice Management Software
  • Online checkouts
  • In-app payments
  • Booking systems
  • Other third-party platforms

Wherever you currently add a card surcharge, switch it off before 1 October 2026. It's also a good idea to update your website, signage, menus, receipts, invoices and quotes, and let your team know what's changing so they can answer any customer questions.

For more information, read our article on how to prepare your business for the card surcharge changes.

Follow these steps to disable surcharging on your CommBank EFTPOS terminal.

Yes. If you add a card surcharge through another system, like a point-of-sale (POS) system, Practice Management Software (PMS) or another third-party platform, you'll need to switch those settings off yourself before 1 October 2026. If you're not sure how, your POS provider or third-party provider can help.

On 1 October 2026, we'll automatically switch off card surcharging on your CommWeb platform. There's nothing you need to do.

PowerBoard and Internet Merchant Account (IMA) don't support surcharging.

For most customers, no action is required.

From 1 October 2026, we'll automatically switch off card surcharging in BPOINT.

If you use BPOINT IVR Standard, we'll automatically remove surcharge-related messaging from the standard IVR experience. If you use BPOINT IVR Premier and your customised script includes surcharge-related messaging, we'll contact you if any updates are needed.

If your Hosted Payment Page (HPP) includes references to card surcharges, please review and update this content before 1 October 2026 to reflect the changes.

You can test the surcharge-free experience in your User Acceptance Testing (UAT) environment from 7 September 2026. If you need help, contact BPOINT Support on 1300 766 031 or support@bpoint.com.au.

What this means for you:

  • No changes are required in BPOINT to switch off surcharging
  • Review any surcharge references on your Hosted Payment Page (if applicable)

Test the updated experience in UAT from 7 September if you'd like to validate your customer journey before 1 October.

The RBA's changes apply to card payment surcharges. Other types of surcharges, such as weekend or public holiday surcharges, are covered by separate rules set out by the ACCC. For guidance on displaying prices and applying these surcharges, visit the ACCC website.

If you have a dedicated Relationship Manager, please reach out to them directly. They can help you understand what these changes mean for your business and support you through next steps.

Why choose CommBank merchant services?

Get paid same day

Same-day settlement with a linked CommBank Business Transaction Account.1

Low transaction fee

Our EFTPOS terminals have a 1.1% flat-rate transaction fee2 and no lock-in contract.3

Stay up & running

Access integration support and 24/7 help, plus get a replacement terminal within 4 hours in metro locations.4

Peace of mind

Know that Australia's largest financial institution is working hard to protect your business from fraud.

Take reliable and secure payments in store or online

Things you should know

  • As this advice has been prepared without considering your objectives, financial situation or needs, you should, before acting on the information, consider its appropriateness to your circumstances. Please view our Merchant Agreement (PDF) for applicable terms and conditions. Read the Terms and Conditions for Business Transaction and Savings Accounts (PDF) for terms and conditions applicable for CommBank Business Transaction Account and consider whether these products are right for you. The target market for this product can be found within the product’s Target Market Determination.

    1 Same day settlement is available on all EFTPOS transactions made before 9:30pm (Sydney/Melbourne time) and all eCommerce transactions made before 5:30pm (Sydney/Melbourne time) for eligible customers with a CommBank Business Transaction Account and a linked CommBank merchant facility.

    2 1.1% covers Mastercard, Visa, AMEX, JCB, eftpos, and UnionPay transactions (additional costs may apply for all other cards). AMEX is subject to approval, available to eligible customers only. Eligibility criteria, terms and conditions apply. Please contact AMEX for more information on 1300 363 614, available weekdays 8am to 6pm Sydney time.

    3 No lock-in contracts: Cancel anytime, no fixed-term commitment. For all CommBank EFTPOS terminals, standard terms and conditions apply and 30 days' notice should be given.

    4 Replacement within 4 business hours in all locations except remote areas (3 to 5 business days). A remote area is not serviced by a technician and only phone support is available.