Question 1

How much will the surcharge ban cost my business?

Accepted Answer

From 1 October 2026 you can no longer add a surcharge to card payments, so the card fee you used to pass on becomes a cost your business absorbs. Use Compayr's surcharge ban cost calculator to estimate that absorbed cost per month and per year from your card turnover and current surcharge %, then compare providers here to carry it for less. Figures are indicative estimates in Australian dollars; confirm current pricing with your provider. This is general information, not financial advice.

Question 2

What exactly changes for my business on 1 October 2026?

Accepted Answer

From 1 October 2026, you can no longer add a surcharge to customers paying with eftpos, Mastercard or Visa (debit, prepaid or credit) — a ban driven by the RBA's reforms and enforced through the card schemes' operating rules. At the same time, the wholesale interchange fee your provider pays drops — the consumer-credit cap falls from 0.8% to 0.3%, and the debit cap is set at 8 cents. If you currently recover card costs through a surcharge, that cost becomes yours to absorb. If you are on interchange-linked pricing, your effective rate should fall. If you are on a flat rate, your price will not change automatically even though your provider's cost has dropped.

Question 3

What is my 'effective rate' and where do I find it?

Accepted Answer

Your effective rate is the total fees you paid in a month divided by your total card turnover for that month, expressed as a percentage. It is the single most useful number for comparison because it captures blended costs across debit, credit and international cards. You will usually find both figures on your monthly merchant statement. If you would rather not calculate it, you can upload your statement and our team will work it out for you.

Question 4

Why are Compayr's figures lower than the rate my provider quotes me?

Accepted Answer

Providers almost always advertise their fees including GST, so Compayr shows figures including GST by default — the way a provider would quote you. If your business is registered for GST, you claim that GST back, so the ex-GST figure (one tap away on every comparison) is your true cost. Every figure is labelled with its basis. This is an estimate; some components of a card fee may be treated differently for GST, so always confirm with the provider.

Question 5

What is the difference between flat-rate and interchange-linked pricing?

Accepted Answer

A flat rate is a single blended percentage the provider charges across all card types (used by fintechs like Square and Zeller). When wholesale costs fall, the provider keeps the saving unless they choose to lower your rate. Interchange-linked (or variable) pricing moves with the underlying wholesale cost — used by the major banks and Tyro's standard plan — so these merchants should benefit from the October interchange cap cut. Which is cheaper for you depends on your turnover and card mix, which is exactly what the comparison above calculates.

Question 6

I'm on a 'zero cost' or 'no cost' EFTPOS plan — what happens to me?

Accepted Answer

Zero-cost and no-cost models (such as Shift4/SmartPay and Tyro's No Cost EFTPOS) work by surcharging your customers, so you pay close to nothing today. Because surcharging on eftpos, Mastercard and Visa is banned from 1 October 2026 under the card scheme rules, that model ends and the cost moves to you. Depending on your turnover, that can mean hundreds or thousands of dollars a month you were not paying before. Select your current provider in the comparison tool above to see an estimate of your post-October bill and cheaper alternatives.

Question 7

How hard is it to switch payment providers?

Accepted Answer

Switching is more straightforward than most merchants expect, but it does take a little lead time. Typically you apply to the new provider, they run a quick approval, ship a terminal (or enable an app), and you run both systems briefly before cancelling the old one. The main things to check are any lock-in contract or notice period on your current plan and whether your terminal integrates with your POS. Every result in the comparison above shows the contract and notice details so there are no surprises.

Question 8

Does the surcharge ban cover American Express, mobile wallets and BNPL?

Accepted Answer

No. The 1 October 2026 ban applies to the designated eftpos, Mastercard and Visa networks. American Express and other three-party networks, mobile wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay, and buy-now-pay-later services are not covered by this round and are subject to a separate RBA review beginning mid-2026. You may still be able to surcharge those payment types — check with your provider before you remove all surcharging.

Question 9

How does Compayr make money, and does it affect the rankings?

Accepted Answer

Compayr earns a referral fee from a provider only when a merchant successfully switches through the platform. This never changes the ranking, which is ordered purely on the lowest processing cost at your actual volume and card mix — terminal rental and account fees are shown separately. We do not sell ranking position or placement, and no provider can pay to appear higher. Our figures are indicative and always carry a 'verify with the provider' note.

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Your Business Details

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How the ranking works

In this guide — the 1 October 2026 changes explained

Providers we compare

In-person payment providers

Online payment gateways

POS systems