Home topics news Credit: Annie Spratt News News No more card surcharges from October. But small businesses say the timing is wrong Yajush Gupta April 1, 2026 The RBA has banned card surcharging from 1 October 2026. COSBOA says removing surcharges before fees actually drop risks pushing more cost onto small businesses. What’s happening : The Reserve Bank of Australia has decided to remove card surcharging from 1 October 2026, alongside measures to reduce payment costs and improve transparency. Why this matters : For small business owners, card surcharging has been one of the only tools available to recover the cost of payment processing without absorbing it directly into margins. The Reserve Bank of Australia has announced it will remove card surcharging from 1 October 2026, as part of a broader package of measures designed to reduce payment costs and improve transparency across the payments system. For consumers, the change means the additional fee currently charged at the point of sale for paying by card will disappear. For small business owners, the picture is more complicated. COSBOA Chair Matthew Addison welcomed the RBA’s focus on reducing payment costs but was direct about the risk embedded in the timing. “If you ban surcharging without guaranteeing lower fees, small businesses have no choice but to absorb the cost and that will ultimately be reflected in prices,” Addison said. Ian Boyd, General Manager ANZ, GoCardless said: “This decision creates a fairer system for Australian businesses, and the upside is transparency. The price customers