On 31 March 2026, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) announced that card surcharging on debit and credit cards will be banned from 1 October 2026. This article explains what the change means for your property and how to prepare your RMS surcharge settings before the deadline.

Overview

The RBA has concluded its Review of Merchant Card Payment Costs and Surcharging and determined that card surcharging on debit, prepaid, and credit cards across the eftpos, Mastercard, and Visa networks will end on 1 October 2026.

This means that from 1 October 2026, Australian businesses will no longer be permitted to add a surcharge to card payments. If your property currently applies a credit card surcharge or uses Dynamic Surcharging in RMS, you will need to review and update your configuration before this date.

To offset the removal of surcharging, the RBA is also reducing interchange fee caps for businesses. Credit card interchange fees will be capped at 0.3% of the transaction value, down from the current 0.8%. These lower costs are expected to reduce payment processing expenses for businesses across Australia.

Key Dates

What This Means for Your Property

If your property currently charges a credit card surcharge through RMS, you will need to disable or remove those surcharge settings before 1 October 2026. This applies to surcharges configured across all payment channels, including terminal payments, online bookings, the Guest Portal, Pay By Link, and the Internet Booking Engine (IBE).

How to Review and Update Your Surcharge Settings in RMS

The following Help Centre articles cover the areas in RMS where surcharging can be configured. Use these guides to locate and update your current settings.

Dynamic Surcharging (RMS Pay)

If your property uses Dynamic Surcharging for RMS Pay, you will need to disable this feature before 1 October 2026. Dynamic Surcharging applies a variable surcharge to RMS Pay transactions based on card type and is the most common surcharging method for properties using RMS Pay.

Standard Credit Card Surcharges

Standard surcharge percentages are configured against credit card receipt types. The following articles cover each area where a surcharge can be set:

• User-initiated payments (Existing Token, Credit Card via Payment Gateway, EFTPOS via Payment Gateway): Credit Card Setup
• Online bookings (IBE payment fees): Online Options - Payment Options\Fees Tab
• Guest Portal payments: Guest Portal
• Pay By Link payments: Pay By Link

RMS POS

If your property uses RMS POS for shop or counter sales, EFTPOS, Visa, and Mastercard payment buttons may have a merchant fee configured. Each affected payment button must be updated on every keyboard layout in use:

• Removing Card Payment Surcharges in RMS POS

Manager Surcharges

If your property uses Manager Surcharges, review the following:

• Setup a Manager Surcharge
• Setup a Manager Surcharge on a Third Party Charge

Reporting on Current Surcharges

To understand what surcharge revenue your property currently collects, run the Credit Card Transaction Fees Report. This will help you assess the financial impact of removing surcharges and plan any necessary pricing adjustments.

Recommended Actions

1. Audit your current surcharge settings. Use the articles above to check each area in RMS where a surcharge may be configured.
2. Run the Credit Card Transaction Fees Report. Understand the revenue impact so you can plan ahead.
3. Review your pricing strategy. With surcharges no longer permitted, consider whether your rates need to be adjusted to account for the change. Reduced interchange fees from your payment provider may partially offset the loss of surcharge revenue.
4. Disable surcharge settings before 1 October 2026. Ensure all surcharges are removed from your RMS configuration before the ban takes effect.
5. Contact your payment provider. Speak with your bank or payment processor about the new interchange fee caps and how they will apply to your merchant account.

Further Reading

For the full details of the RBA's decision, visit the Reserve Bank of Australia's official publication: Merchant Card Payment Costs and Surcharging - March 2026.

Related Articles

• Dynamic Surcharging for RMS Pay
• Credit Card Setup
• Online Options - Payment Options\Fees Tab
• Report on Credit Card Transaction Fees
• Setup a Manager Surcharge
• RMS Pay Setup Checklist - The Essentials
• Payment Gateways
• Removing Card Payment Surcharges in RMS POS