Can I set a minimum card payment amount instead of surcharging?

A minimum is not a surcharge

A per-transaction surcharge adds a fee to a card payment; a minimum spend instead declines small card payments below a threshold. They are different mechanisms. The 2026 change removes surcharges on eftpos, Mastercard and Visa, and a minimum spend is not the same instrument, so it is not directly removed by that change as general information.

The scheme-rules question

Many businesses already set a minimum card spend, but there is a layer worth checking: card-network scheme rules can restrict minimum card payment amounts, and the position is not uniform across networks and providers. Because the surcharge removal itself is enforced through scheme rules and merchant agreements, the safest step is to check your own merchant agreement before setting a minimum, rather than assuming it is always allowed.

The trade-offs are real

Even where a minimum is possible, it has downsides. Turning away small card payments can frustrate customers, send them elsewhere, and cost you sales — especially as cash use declines. A minimum solves the small-ticket cost problem bluntly, and often at the expense of the customer experience.

The cleaner path

For most businesses worried about the cost of small card payments, the better lever is the rate itself. Securing a more competitive merchant rate — and, where relevant, using least-cost routing on dual-network debit, which the RBA indicates can cut debit acceptance cost by around 20% — addresses the cost directly without turning customers away.

Source: RBA Review of Merchant Card Payment Costs and Surcharging — Conclusions Paper (March 2026).