How much does it cost to accept card payments in Australia?

"What's the going rate for card fees?" is the wrong question, because there isn't one. What you pay depends on how your plan is priced, what mix of cards your customers use, and how much you turn over. The useful number is your own — and it takes about fifteen minutes to find. Here is how the cost is built, and where to check current provider pricing.

The number that actually matters: your effective rate

Your effective rate is total card fees divided by total card turnover, taken from your statements. It rolls every charge into one comparable figure and is the only number that lets you compare providers honestly — far more useful than the headline rate on a signup letter.

What makes up the cost

The cost of accepting a card is built from a few layers:

• Interchange — a wholesale fee set by the card networks. From 1 October 2026 the RBA caps interchange on domestic consumer credit at 0.3%, down from 0.8% [1].
• Scheme fees — smaller charges paid to eftpos, Mastercard or Visa for using their rails.
• The provider's margin — the only part the provider sets, and the only part that is negotiable.
• Per-transaction fees — a few cents on some plans.
• Recurring account or service fees — monthly charges on some plans.

Terminal rental and one-off hardware are not part of the cost of accepting a card — they are equipment costs, shown separately, and they vary hugely by provider and plan.

Why a single "average" is misleading

Two cafes on the same street can pay very different effective rates: one on a flat rate, one on interchange-plus; one debit-heavy, one credit-heavy; one at $15,000 a month, one at $80,000. A quoted market average hides all of that, which is why we don't publish one — we show each provider's verified pricing and let you rank it at your own numbers. For a deeper look at the two models, see flat-rate vs interchange-plus.

Where to check current pricing

• Our open merchant-fees dataset lists each provider's verified rates, per-transaction and monthly fees, terminal rental and hardware — each with the date it was checked.
• The comparison tool ranks the providers we track by estimated card acceptance cost at your turnover and card mix, with rental and hardware shown separately.

After October 2026

Once surcharging on eftpos, Mastercard and Visa ends, the cost of acceptance stops being something customers cover and becomes a line on your P&L [1]. That is the moment your effective rate goes from a curiosity to a number worth getting right.

Find your number — enter your turnover and card mix and see the providers we track ranked by estimated card acceptance cost. Compare now →

Figures on Compayr are indicative and carry the date each was verified — always confirm current pricing directly with the provider. General information, not financial advice.