Australia confirmed a card-surcharge ban, starting October
The Reserve Bank of Australia's final decision, published 31 March 2026, bans card surcharges on eftpos, Visa and Mastercard from 1 October 2026. Until that date many merchants still add a surcharge, often around 1 to 1.5% and more on Amex. Amex later confirmed it would remove its own surcharging from the same date, and PayPal from 5 October 2026.
Why it matters: Travel before October and the surcharge line on the bill is still legal and common; travel after and it should be gone for Visa and Mastercard.
Australia money guideThis is the permanent record of one change. The current fact lives on the guide linked above, which is re-checked on a schedule. For how we check and correct, see our methodology.