The Reserve Bank of Australia has confirmed a major package of reforms to card payment costs, surcharging and fee transparency, with most changes taking effect from 1 October 2026.
The most important thing to know is this: these reforms will not affect ArtsPay’s business model or sustainability, and your payments will continue exactly as they do today.
The reforms announced today are largely aligned with how ArtsPay already operates, through our long-standing focus on:
- transparent pricing
- clear reporting
- IC++ pricing
- least cost routing
That means ArtsPay will continue to provide reliable, high-value payment solutions that deliver real impact well into the future.
For many businesses, there may be little or no practical change. For others, there may be some adjustments required over the coming months. If that applies to you, we will work with you directly well ahead of October.
Below is a simple guide to what is changing, whether it may affect your business, and how we will help.
1) Card surcharges will be removed
Who may be affected
- Businesses that currently add a card fee at the terminal, online checkout or on invoices
What it means for you
- Separate surcharge lines for standard eftpos, Visa and Mastercard payments will no longer be allowed
How we will help
- We will review your current setup with you
- We will help make the transition simple and ensure your checkout or terminal remains compliant.
2) Interchange fees will reduce
Who may be affected
- Most businesses, particularly those on IC++ pricing
What it means for you
- Interchange is one of the wholesale costs charged when card payments are processed
- Lower interchange caps should reduce the cost of many transactions over time
How we will help
- If you are on IC++, these lower costs should generally flow through automatically
- We will continue to ensure your pricing remains transparent and competitive
3) Payment fee transparency rules will increase
Who may be affected
- All merchants
What it means for you
- It will become easier to understand what you are paying
- You will be better able to compare providers
- It will be easier to see whether fee reductions are being passed on
How we will help
- Transparency is already central to how we work
- We provide clear reporting and support so you understand your true payment costs
4) Least cost routing becomes even more important
Who may be affected
- Merchants that do not already have least cost routing enabled
What it means for you
- Keeping debit payments on the lowest-cost route helps keep fees down
- This will become an even more important lever once surcharging is removed
How we will help
- ArtsPay already has leading least cost routing technology
- Most of our merchants are already using it
- If you are not, we will work with you to ensure you are getting the best possible value
5) Comparing providers will become easier
Who may be affected
- All merchants
What it means for you
- Fee tables, reporting and service comparisons between payment providers will become easier
- This should make the market more competitive
How we will help
- We are here to explain your current setup
- We will help ensure you remain in the best possible arrangement
- No one joins ArtsPay paying more than they were with their previous provider, so we are confident we can continue to compete on product quality, price and purpose
One of the most important outcomes of these reforms is that businesses will now be able to compare providers more clearly than ever before.
We welcome that.
No business that has moved to ArtsPay is paying more than they were with their previous provider. That gives us real confidence that we can continue to compete with the big end of town on product quality, price and, of course, purpose.
Over the coming days and weeks, we will share more information on what these changes mean in practice.
If your business is affected by any of these reforms, we will be in touch well ahead of 1 October to make sure everything is compliant and that your payment setup continues to work in the best possible way for your business.