What cards are covered by the surcharge ban?

What’s covered

The ban applies to three networks: eftpos, Mastercard and Visa. Crucially, it reaches across all of their card types — debit, prepaid and credit alike — so it isn’t limited to credit cards. If a customer pays with an eftpos, Mastercard or Visa card of any of those kinds, you won’t be able to surcharge that payment from 1 October 2026.

What’s not covered — for now

Several payment types sit outside the ban. American Express cards issued directly by Amex, Diners Club, PayPal, BNPL services such as Afterpay and Zip, and mobile wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay are all excluded for now. That “for now” matters: the RBA has flagged a review of Amex, BNPL and wallets beginning mid-2026, so this perimeter could shift in future.

The Amex nuance

The ban covers eftpos, Mastercard and Visa. American Express cards issued directly by Amex are not covered, so a compliant Amex surcharge can continue. “Companion” Amex cards once issued by banks are now rare; if unsure which you accept, check with your provider.

Why this distinction matters

Knowing which cards are in and which are out shapes both compliance and pricing. You can keep surcharging the excluded types where it’s compliant — for instance, an Amex or PayPal surcharge that doesn’t exceed your cost of acceptance — while the covered networks must be surcharge-free. Just don’t try to recoup the covered-card cost by quietly loading it onto a card-only “admin” fee, as that’s treated as a disguised surcharge. This is general information, not advice.

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