Australia Bids Farewell to Card Surcharges, NZ Ban Stalls

Australia has banned card surcharges on October 1, 2026, following an estimate that consumers paid about A$1.8 billion in surcharges in a single year.

The Reserve Bank of Australia found that roughly A$1.6 billion of this amount fell on consumers.

In contrast, New Zealand's ban has stalled, with Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Cameron Brewer promising to 'get it right' but not setting a specific date for implementation.

The Australian government paired the ban with a credit card interchange cap cut from 0.80% to 0.30%, aiming to reduce business payment costs by about A$910 million a year.