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From 1 October 2026, in-person and online payment surcharges will be banned in Australia for payments using EFTPOS, Mastercard, and Visa debit, prepaid and credit cards. This means clients should no longer see an extra card surcharge added at checkout for the payment types covered by the new rules.
The change is designed to make payments simpler and help clients understand the full cost of a service upfront.
Research found that the existing surcharge framework was too complicated and inconsistent, and that a whopping 76% of Australian consumers wanted surcharging to stop. For more information, see our FAQs: Surcharge changes - Australia help guide.
Important note: some implementation details are still being confirmed, and we’ll continue to update this article as more information becomes available.
Which payment types are affected?
From 1 October 2026:
| Card network | Cards affected | Can you surcharge? |
| Eftpos | Debit and prepaid | No |
| Mastercard | Credit, debit and prepaid | No |
| Visa | Credit, debit and prepaid | No |
| American Express | Credit | No |
These changes apply to fees added specifically because a client chooses to pay by card.
What isn't affected?
The card surcharge changes do not automatically stop businesses from charging genuine:
- weekend surcharges
- public holiday surcharges
- booking fees
- service fees
These are different from a surcharge applied because of the payment method a client uses.
What do I need to do?
If you currently surcharge, there are a few things worth checking before 1 October:
1. Check your current TimelyPay fees
Go to: setup > TimelyPay > Fees
This will show you your current transaction rate.
2. Get a rough idea of what card processing costs your business
You don’t need an exact calculation.
For example, if a $200 payment costs you 1.5% + 50c, the fee would be:
| Step | Calculation | Cost |
| Percentage fee | $200 × 1.5% | $3.00 |
| Fixed fee | $0.50 | |
| Total payment cost | $3.50 |
If you processed 200 similar payments in a month, that would be roughly:
$3.50 × 200 = $700 per month
Timely tip: our actual costs will vary depending on your payment rate, transaction values and how your clients pay. For the most accurate breakdown, we recommend checking your TimelyPay transaction report, which shows the fees associated with your transactions.
3. Decide how you want to handle the cost
You could choose to:
- Absorb it - Keep your current prices and payment processing part of your operating costs
- Review your prices - Adjust selected services or your wider price list
- Use a mix of both - Absorb some of the cost while making smaller pricing or business changes elsewhere
There’s no single right answer for every business.
Timely tip: if you do review your prices, you don’t necessarily need to add the same amount to every service. Consider the time, products and costs involved in delivering each service.
4. Update anything your clients see
If you currently mention card surcharges, remember to check things like:
- your website
- online booking information
- price lists
- signage
- client emails or messages
Make sure any outdated surcharge wording is removed before the new rules take effect.
Important note: if you’d prefer to stop adding card surcharges before 1 October, you can turn surcharging off in Timely at any time by following these simple steps:
1. Go to your TimelyPay settings and scroll down to surcharging fee. Select business covers the fee, then save your changes.
2. Once updated, new eligible card payments will no longer have a surcharge added.
If you’ve created a separate fee or charge outside Timely’s normal card surcharge setting, Timely will not be able to remove that automatically for you.
Before 1 October, check any:
- custom service or booking fees
- pricing rules
- client-facing surcharge wording
- other manually created payment-related charges
Timely tip: If you’re unsure whether anything in your setup needs to be changed, get in touch with our friendly Timely Support team and we’ll be happy to help you check!
For more information, you can read our Timely Blog: The in-person payment surcharge ban. We'll continue to update this article as more information becomes available. For information from the RBA, please refer to ACCC guidance on card surcharges and RBA FAQs on the removal of payment surcharges.