eftpos vs credit cards: why the way a customer pays changes your cost
Compayr Editorial · · Updated · 5 min
Two customers, two taps, two different costs to you. What a card payment costs to accept depends heavily on the network it runs on and whether it is debit or credit. Understanding the difference is the first step to lowering your blended rate — and to knowing which lever (like routing) actually helps.
The networks
In Australia, debit cards usually carry two networks: the domestic eftpos network and either Visa or Mastercard. Credit cards run on Visa, Mastercard or American Express. The network a payment travels on is one of the biggest drivers of what you pay.
Debit vs credit
As a rule of thumb, debit is cheaper to accept than credit, and within debit, the eftpos network is often the lowest cost. Credit cards — especially premium and rewards cards — tend to cost more, because the wholesale interchange built into them is higher.
From 1 October 2026, the RBA caps interchange on domestic consumer credit at 0.3%, down from 0.8% [1], which lowers the wholesale cost of many credit transactions — though whether that saving reaches you depends on your provider passing it on.
Contactless debit and routing
When a dual-network debit card is tapped, the payment can travel via eftpos or via Visa/Mastercard — and those can cost you different amounts. Least-cost routing sends it down the cheaper network by default. If you take a lot of debit, it is one of the simplest ways to reduce cost. See our guide to least-cost routing.
What it means for you
You cannot choose how a customer pays, but two things are in your control: the rate you are on, and whether least-cost routing is switched on for contactless debit. Your actual blended cost depends on your own card mix — which is exactly what a comparison at your real numbers shows.
See your blended cost — enter your turnover and card mix and compare the providers we track by estimated card acceptance cost. Compare now →
Costs vary by provider, plan, card mix and volume — figures on Compayr are indicative and carry the date each was verified. General information, not financial advice.
References
- [1] Reserve Bank of Australia, "Review of Merchant Card Payment Costs and Surcharging — Conclusions Paper", 31 March 2026. https://www.rba.gov.au/
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