How a card payment fee is built, how providers package it, and the Reserve Bank changes to surcharging, interchange caps and fee transparency that apply from October 2026.
This section explains what you are paying for each time a customer pays by card, and which Australian rules shape that cost. Start with the overview of merchant payment processing fees, which walks through the whole cost and links to every deeper guide.
The building-block guides break a merchant service fee into interchange (paid to the cardholder's bank), scheme fees (paid to the card network) and the acquirer or provider margin, then show how those costs are repackaged as flat-rate, blended, cost-plus or subscription pricing. A separate guide explains eftpos, dual-network debit cards and least-cost routing.
The rules guides cover the Reserve Bank of Australia's conclusions from its Review of Merchant Card Payment Costs and Surcharging: surcharges removed on eftpos, Mastercard and Visa cards from 1 October 2026, lower domestic interchange caps from the same date, a cap on foreign-issued cards from 1 April 2027, and new fee publication and merchant statement requirements. A tax guide explains how to read GST on your merchant statement.
All rates and dollar figures on this site are illustrative unless a source and date are given. They show the arithmetic, not any provider's current price. Check your own statement and your provider's current terms.
Fee building blocks, pricing models and 2026 rules
How each merchant pricing model works in Australia, a side-by-side worked example at two business sizes, and how to tell which model fits your card mix.
Fee building blocks, pricing models and 2026 rules
How to tell whether your merchant fees and terminal rental include GST, when you can claim GST credits, how card fees are deducted, and how GST on your sales interacts with card fees.
Fee building blocks, pricing models and 2026 rules
The new RBA interchange caps for debit, prepaid, consumer and commercial credit and foreign-issued cards, how caps and benchmarks work, and what the cuts should mean for your fees.
Fee building blocks, pricing models and 2026 rules
A line-by-line explanation of the three costs inside an Australian merchant service fee, who receives each one, which are capped, and how to spot them on a statement.
Fee building blocks, pricing models and 2026 rules
How least-cost routing sends tap-and-go debit payments through the cheaper network, what the RBA expects of providers, how threshold routing works, and a worked saving.
Fee building blocks, pricing models and 2026 rules
How Australian merchant fees are built from interchange, scheme fees and provider margin, how plans package them, and what changed on 1 October 2026.
Fee building blocks, pricing models and 2026 rules
What merchant statements must show from October 2026 and April 2027, the fee data large acquirers and card networks must publish, and how to use it to check your own rates.
Fee building blocks, pricing models and 2026 rules
The RBA decision that ended surcharges on eftpos, Mastercard and Visa cards, who enforces it, what fees are still allowed, and a step-by-step plan for businesses that used to surcharge.
