Prepare your business for the end of surcharging

From 1 October 2026, card surcharging will no longer be permitted in Australia, following the Reserve Bank’s decision to reform how card payments are priced and disclosed. You can read more about the RBA’s decision here.

This change is a nationwide mandate that applies to any business accepting credit and debit card payments in-person or online. It covers all debit, prepaid, and credit cards on the eftpos, Mastercard, Visa, and American Express networks, including international cards.

This article explains what is changing, what happens to your Zeller Account, and what you need to do.

What’s changing?

From 1 October 2026, businesses will no longer be permitted to apply a surcharge to card payments that are accepted in-person, online, over the phone, or via electronic invoices.

Read the full details on the RBA's reasoning and the policy itself here, as well as an outline of the key dates below:

What happens in your Zeller Account

If you don't currently surcharge, then you don't need to do anything. If you do, here’s what to prepare for:

• On 1 October 2026, surcharging will be automatically disabled on Zeller Terminal, Tap to Pay, Payment Links and Invoices, and removed from the terminal display. You will not need to update settings on Zeller Terminal or Dashboard.
  
  
• You should remove signage notifying customers of any card surcharges.
  
  
• If you apply card surcharges via a third-party point-of-sale system, you’ll need to disable this by speaking to your POS provider.
  
  
• You may want to review and adjust your pricing to incorporate card processing fee costs into your business revenue.

Service charges vs. card surcharges

You can continue to use Zeller's Service Charge feature (for example, a weekend surcharge, a public holiday loading, or a booking fee) as you do today.

Your Zeller pricing remains unchanged

Your affordable Zeller pricing is not changing. Even after 1 October 2026, you will continue to benefit from Australia's most affordable, reliable, and powerful payment solution:

• Low, flat-rate pricing: The same simple, low rate applies to all cards, including American Express.
• No hidden fees: No chargeback fees, settlement fees, or monthly terminal rental fees.
• Affordable hardware: Zeller Terminal remains Australia's most affordable EFTPOS terminal, at the low price of $99.
• All-in-one ecosystem: You’ll continue to enjoy access to a wide range of products, including invoicing, transaction and savings accounts, cards, and a free POS app.

Steps to prepare your business

1. Review and adjust your pricing

Decide how you will manage the cost of accepting card payments once surcharging ends. Most businesses choose to:

• Absorb the processing cost into their existing operating margins.
• Incorporate payment processing costs directly into the price of goods and services.
• Use a combination of both across different product or service categories.

2. Update your item catalog in bulk

If you are adjusting prices across your catalog, Zeller Dashboard supports bulk price updates via CSV import. You can export your existing items, update pricing in a spreadsheet, and re-import the file. Learn more in our guide on How do I import items?.

3. Remove surcharge signage and references

You should remove any signage notifying customers of card surcharges on or prior to 1 October 2026. This may include:

• In-store signage and terminal display stickers
• Printed and online menus
• Website checkout and booking pages
• Digital and physical receipts or invoices
• Terms and conditions or FAQ pages

4. Brief your team

Ensure your employees understand that surcharging is ending nationwide, why it is changing, and how to respond to customer questions.

5. Review your surcharge history

To help inform your pricing adjustments, you can review the total surcharges you have collected to date. Log into Zeller Dashboard and go to Payments > Reports, then view the Summary table at the bottom of the page.

 

Need help?

Have questions or need assistance preparing your account? We’re available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

• Phone: 1800 935 537
• Email: support@myzeller.com
• SMS: 0437 935 537

This information is general in nature and does not take into account your individual business circumstances. If you are unsure how these regulatory changes apply to your business, we recommend seeking independent professional advice.