# Australia is removing card surcharges: what Stripe users need to know

From October 1, 2026, businesses in Australia will no longer be able to add surcharges to card payments. Stripe will therefore disable support for surcharging in Australia across online and in-person card payments.
If your checkout, point-of-sale system, or third-party provider calculates a card surcharge and includes it in the transaction amount, you must remove that logic before October 1.
## What’s changing?
The [Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) is changing its rules](https://www.rba.gov.au/payments-and-infrastructure/review-of-retail-payments-regulation/2026-03/) to allow card networks to prohibit merchants from adding surcharges. [Visa](https://www.visa.com.au/support/surcharging-info.html#What_should_I_do_if_I_believe_I_ve_been_charged_a_card_payment_surcharge_nbsp_-1690580127), Mastercard, and eftpos will introduce these “no-surcharge” rules on October 1, 2026.
Other card networks, including [American Express and UnionPay](https://www.rba.gov.au/payments-and-infrastructure/review-of-retail-payments-regulation/2026-03/conclusions-paper/faqs/), have also indicated that they will remove surcharging from the same date. The practical result for Stripe users is straightforward: Stripe will no longer support surcharging for Australian card payments from October 1.
### The change applies to:
- Online card payments
- In-person payments made using Stripe Terminal
- Credit, debit, and prepaid cards
- The card networks Stripe supports in Australia
This change does not prevent businesses from accepting card payments. It only removes the ability to add a separate fee because a customer chooses to pay by card.
## What do I need to do?
If your business currently adds card surcharges, update your integration before October 1, 2026.
Depending on how your payment setup works, you may need to:
- Remove surcharge calculations from your checkout or point-of-sale system
- Stop passing surcharge parameters through your Stripe integration
- Remove card-surcharge settings from third-party software connected to Stripe
- Update references to card surcharges on your website, invoices, receipts, signage, menus, or other customer communications
- Test your online and in-person payment flows after making the changes
Stripe will disable the underlying surcharge functionality, but it won’t automatically remove surcharge-related code, disclosures, or pricing from systems that you or a third party operate.
If you use a payment platform, booking system, practice-management system, or another Stripe partner that adds card surcharges, check whether surcharging continues after October 1. If it does, you should contact that provider to have it removed.
## Are all additional fees prohibited?
No. The reform is specific to fees charged because a customer pays by card.
Other charges—such as weekend, public-holiday, booking, or service fees—aren’t automatically prohibited by the RBA’s card-surcharge reform. However, they remain subject to Australian Consumer Law and other applicable requirements.
A business can’t avoid the new rules simply by renaming a card surcharge as a “service fee,” “handling fee,” or similar charge. If a fee only applies when a customer chooses a particular card payment method, it may still be treated as a card surcharge.
Businesses can continue to account for payment-acceptance costs in their general prices. They may also offer discounts for particular payment methods, subject to applicable law.
For more information, see the RBA’s [guidance](https://www.rba.gov.au/payments-and-infrastructure/review-of-retail-payments-regulation/2026-03/conclusions-paper/faqs/) on removing card-payment surcharges and the ACCC’s card-surcharge [guidance](https://www.accc.gov.au/consumers/pricing/card-surcharges). Businesses and consumers can also refer to this [website](https://www.cardsurcharge.com.au/), managed by AusPayNet, which includes a number of other FAQs on these changes.
This information is general in nature and isn’t legal advice. If you’re unsure how the reforms apply to your business or another type of fee, consult a qualified legal adviser.
## Why is this happening?
The surcharge changes are part of a broader package of [Australian payments reforms](https://www.rba.gov.au/payments-and-infrastructure/review-of-retail-payments-regulation/about.html) intended to make prices clearer for consumers and reduce card-acceptance costs for businesses.
Alongside the surcharge changes, the RBA is reducing interchange-fee caps for Australian-issued debit, prepaid, and credit cards from October 1, 2026. New caps for foreign-issued Mastercard and Visa cards will take effect on April 1, 2027.
These changes may lower some underlying card costs, but their impact will vary depending on factors such as a business’s transaction mix and pricing arrangement.
## What happens on October 1, 2026?
From October 1, 2026, Stripe will disable support for card surcharging in Australia for both online card payments and in-person payments made using Stripe Terminal. You don’t need to sign a new agreement or accept updated Stripe terms for this change. Your existing Stripe agreement remains in effect.
If you don’t remove surcharge-related logic, your checkout or point-of-sale system may continue to display or include a card surcharge even after Stripe disables its surcharging functionality. Remove this logic and test your updated payment experience before October 1.
Stripe can provide information about how its products work, but it can’t provide legal advice. If you’re unsure how the reforms apply to your business or to another type of fee, consult a qualified legal adviser.