Zero Cost EFTPOS has allowed businesses to recover eligible card acceptance costs by passing them on to customers as a surcharge.
On 1 October 2026, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has allowed Visa & Mastercard to ban surcharging on all card payments. As a result, Zero Cost EFTPOS and fee-free EFTPOS models that rely on surcharging will no longer operate in the same way.
The upside is an opportunity to move to a simpler, more transparent way of managing payment costs. Low Cost EFTPOS can help keep fees predictable, with competitive pricing and least-cost routing built in.
Here’s what is changing, what it means for your business, and what to consider when reviewing your EFTPOS options.
Zero Cost EFTPOS is a payment model that adds a surcharge to eligible card transactions to help cover a business’s payment processing costs.
It may also be described as:
These descriptions do not usually mean that accepting card payments has no cost. Instead, the cost is passed on to the customer through a surcharge.
Some offers may also include a free EFTPOS machine or free EFTPOS terminal. This generally refers to the cost of the terminal itself and does not necessarily mean there are no transaction fees or other conditions.
Australia’s card payment rules are changing.
From 1 October 2026, businesses will no longer be permitted to surcharge most card payments. This means most businesses will no longer be able to pass eligible payment processing costs on to customers at the terminal.
Instead, those costs will need to be managed as a normal business expense.
For businesses using Zero Cost EFTPOS, the change may affect:
The payment costs do not disappear when surcharging ends. The main change is who pays them.
You're all set! At the beginning of October, we’ll manage the required update remotely, so there’s no need to replace your terminal or make any changes yourself. The only thing you need to do is update or remove any physical surcharge signage in your store.
Get ahead of the October deadline. Speak with a Shift4 payment specialist to find a solution that fits your volume and business goals and check out Low-Cost EFTPOS today.
[Get in Touch with an Expert] [ Call Sales: 1800 982 834 ]
Once the RBA surcharge ban takes effect, your existing Shift4 Zero Cost/Fee-Free EFTPOS plan will change to our Low-Cost EFTPOS plan. You will still receive the same level of service as before. The only difference is that you will no longer be able to have customers pay a surcharge on transactions. You can cover the merchant service fees by integrating them into your ticketed prices, or use one of our Low-Cost EFTPOS plans to have low, predictable, monthly transaction fees.
As of July 2026, surcharging remains legal in Australia under RBA guidelines. From 1 October 2026, however, surcharges will be made illegal. Until then, any appropriate surcharge must not exceed the actual cost of processing payments.
Whether your monthly bill will increase depends on which of our plans you're on. If you're on our Low-Cost EFTPOS, you won't see any changes: you're already covering merchant service fees for customers. For those on our Low-Cost EFTPOS Pass plan or Zero Cost EFTPOS plan, you will move to our Low-Cost EFTPOS and be required to pay merchant service fees from October 1st. However, with interchange fee caps lowering, the cost is partially offset. Additionally, you can integrate the cost of merchant service fees into your pricing to balance things out.
At the moment, there's nothing you need to do. You'll be able to trade as normal, and your current Shift4 plans will remain unaltered.
According to the RBA, automated surcharging is being banned because many consumers and businesses have found surcharges confusing, and in many instances, they are not disclosed very well. By banning surcharges, it's hoped these issues around confusion and disclosure will be put to an end.
Our support team is available 24/7/365 to answer any questions you have about the upcoming changes. You can use our online support system, or call us on 1300 116 425.
The RBA surcharge ban covers both online and in-person EFTPOS transactions. Customers must see one final price for goods and services they purchase.
American Express surcharges will be phased out alongside other card surcharges. However, Buy Now, Pay Later surcharges are unaffected.
Yes, you can. Provided that paying by cash or bank transfers results in a genuine discount, rather than simply increasing prices for card payments, you can offer a discount.
Yes, it does. The RBA surcharge ban applies to credit and debit card payments, contactless payments (such as Apple Pay and Google Pay), cashless payments, and online payments. This includes customers paying the surcharge via tap-and-go at the terminal.
If you keep surcharging after October 1, you may be subject to penalties and/or fines, according to the ACCC.
The new surcharge rules are being enforced by Visa, Mastercard, and EFTPOS networks themselves, according to the ACCC.
Switching from surcharging with Low Cost EFTPOS will be done for you automatically as part of our service. Before this occurs, we will inform you of the differences in each plan so you can make an informed decision about continuing with us as your EFTPOS machine provider.
Yes, there is. A minimum monthly fee of $100 + GST applies. If the amount of merchant service fees paid by you or passed to the cardholder for the month is less than this amount, then all you will be billed is the difference.
While a ban on surcharges has been flagged by the New Zealand government, it is currently stalled. No proposed date has been given for a surcharge ban as of (publication date).
