Since 30 October 2026, card networks and large acquirers have begun publishing card fee information, the latest step in a staged set of payments reforms that removed surcharges on major card networks from 1 October.

For years, many small businesses have had a simple complaint about card payments: it is hard to know what you are paying, and harder still to compare. A reform milestone that passed quietly at the end of October is designed to start changing that.

On 30 October 2026, card networks and large acquirers, the businesses that process card payments on behalf of merchants, began publishing card fee information. It is one of several dated steps flowing from the Reserve Bank's review of retail payments regulation, and it comes just weeks after one of the most visible changes for shoppers: the removal of card surcharges.

Where the reform has got to

The disclosure step makes most sense when seen as part of a sequence. According to the RBA's frequently asked questions on the conclusions of its retail payments review, the key dates are:

  • 1 October 2026: surcharges removed on eftpos, Mastercard and Visa, and lower domestic interchange caps take effect.
  • 30 October 2026: card networks and large acquirers begin publishing card fee information.
  • 30 January 2027: large acquirers publish the pass-through of interchange cuts.
  • 1 April 2027: all acquirers provide more detailed merchant statements, and interchange caps apply to foreign-issued cards.

Other providers have moved in parallel. PayPal removed surcharges from 5 October 2026, and American Express and UnionPay are also removing surcharges, although they are not formally regulated by the RBA.

Governor Michele Bullock confirmed the 1 October removal of card surcharging in her opening statement to the Senate Economics Legislation Committee on 28 October.

Why fee transparency matters more after surcharges

Removing surcharges changes the economics for merchants. Before 1 October, a Business could pass some or all of the cost of accepting a card on to the customer at the checkout. With surcharges on eftpos, Mastercard and Visa removed, that option has gone for those networks, so the cost of acceptance is something merchants now carry within their overall pricing.

That makes the level of those costs, and the ability to compare them, more important for businesses. The RBA's approach pairs the Surcharge removal with lower domestic interchange caps from the same date and a series of disclosure requirements to follow.

Ellis Connolly, Head of Payments Policy at the RBA, summed up the aim in a speech to the Australian Finance Industry Association (AFIA) on 20 October 2026: "we're really trying to put downward pressure on merchants' payment costs".

Interchange is a fee set within card schemes that forms part of the wider cost to a merchant of accepting a card. A lower cap on interchange only helps merchants if the savings are passed on by the acquirers who bill them. The publication of card fee information from 30 October, followed by acquirers' disclosure of pass-through from 30 January 2027, is intended to make that process visible.

What comes next for merchants

The two remaining milestones will build on the October step.

From 30 January 2027, large acquirers must publish the pass-through of interchange cuts. In practical terms, this is the point at which merchants and observers should be able to see whether the lower interchange caps introduced on 1 October have flowed through to the fees acquirers charge.

From 1 April 2027, all acquirers, not just the large ones, must provide more detailed merchant statements. The same date brings interchange caps on foreign-issued cards, extending the regulated caps to cards issued overseas.

The RBA's broader payments agenda is also moving. Bullock told the Senate committee that payments regulatory priorities are due by the end of 2026, with consultation on prioritised issues by mid-2027. Connolly was similarly direct: "The plan is by the end of this year to have publicised what the areas of priority are".

The disclosures arrive as the way Australians pay continues to shift. Connolly noted that cards account for 75% of payments, according to the RBA's consumer survey, which has run every three years since 2008. Nearly 50% of card payments are now made via mobile wallets.

That shift has implications for how the payments system is regulated and secured. Connolly warned that in a networked system, "you can have situations where you can end up being as exposed as the weakest point in the network". He also noted that the review of payments regulation drew about 70 submissions.

What the reforms do not cover

The surcharge removal is significant, but it has limits that merchants and consumers should understand. According to the RBA's FAQs, it does not cover:

  • weekend and public holiday surcharges
  • booking fees
  • service fees

Discounts for particular payment methods are still allowed. In other words, the reform targets surcharges on eftpos, Mastercard and Visa card payments, not every extra charge a business might apply.

Where consumers believe a surcharge has been applied in breach of the new rules, the RBA's FAQs point to raising it with the business, the card network, or the relevant state or territory consumer agency. Concerns about misleading price displays can be taken to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).

The bottom line

The publication of card fee information by networks and large acquirers from 30 October 2026 is a transparency step rather than a price change in itself. Its significance lies in what it sets up: from 30 January 2027, large acquirers must show whether interchange cuts have been passed through, and from 1 April 2027 all acquirers must provide more detailed statements, with interchange caps extending to foreign-issued cards.

For merchants who can no longer surcharge on eftpos, Mastercard and Visa transactions, those disclosures will provide more information about the costs they now absorb. Businesses with questions about how the changes affect their own arrangements can consider speaking with their payment provider or a licensed adviser.