If you run a café, restaurant, bar or takeaway anywhere in Australia, you've probably heard that card surcharges are on their way out. What you might not have is a straight answer on what that actually means for your business, your pricing, and the systems you use every day. So here it is, as plainly as we can put it.

The short version

From 1 October 2026, businesses will no longer be able to add a separate surcharge when a customer pays with an eftpos, Visa or Mastercard debit or credit card and American Express. It's a change to the card scheme rules that applies across the whole country, to every business on every provider. It isn't something specific to Nomni and it isn't something you opted into.

If you've been surcharging card payments to cover your payment costs, that line disappears from your customer's bill. If you've never surcharged, this change doesn't require anything from you at all.

What's actually being switched off

Behind the scenes, this is a specific setting (often called an "all cards" or "card surcharge" configuration) that adds a percentage or flat fee whenever a customer taps, inserts or keys in a card. Most point-of-sale and payment systems, including Nomni's, are removing or disabling that setting for Australian businesses ahead of the deadline.

But a setting being switched off in your POS doesn't automatically clean up everything a customer sees. Signage at the counter, printed menus, your online ordering page, kiosk screens, receipts, and even the words your staff use at the register can all still reference a card fee that technically no longer exists. Getting the system right and getting the customer experience right are two different jobs, and both need to happen before the deadline.

What isn't changing

This is where a lot of confusion creeps in, so it's worth being precise. The change applies to fees charged because a customer paid by card. It does not remove genuine surcharges that apply regardless of payment method: a weekend surcharge, a public holiday surcharge, or a real booking or service fee that a cash-paying customer would be charged too.

The line that matters is simple: if the fee only appears when someone pays by card, it's a card surcharge and it has to go. If it applies no matter how someone pays, it can stay, as long as it's clearly and prominently disclosed on your menu, the way existing hospitality pricing rules already require.

One thing you can't do is quietly rename a card surcharge as a "service fee" or "processing fee" and keep charging it only to card-paying customers. Regulators and card schemes both treat that as the same practice under a different label.

What it means for your pricing

Once the surcharge line disappears, the cost of accepting cards doesn't disappear with it. It just moves onto your margin instead of your customer's bill. Before you touch a single menu price, it's worth doing one thing first, then deciding between two options.

But first, start by finding out what you're actually paying. Most operators only know the headline rate on their statement, not the real, all-in cost once every fee is added back in, and that number is very often higher than expected. This is the number that should drive every pricing decision you make next.

• Option 1: Build it into your menu prices. Once you know your true cost, many operators choose to fold it into their advertised prices, so there's one number and it's the number the customer actually pays.

• Option 2: Offer a genuine payment-method discount. You can still offer a clearly disclosed discount for cash or other payment methods, as long as the standard price is the full price when the discount doesn't apply.

Your pre-1 October checklist

Whichever path you take on pricing, the operational checklist looks the same for everyone who's currently surcharging:

• Remove surcharge signs and messages from counters, menus, receipts and payment terminals

• Update your website, online ordering, QR and table-ordering copy

• Check kiosk order summaries and payment screens

• Contact any terminal or payment provider not managed by your POS directly, and confirm they're removing their surcharge setting too

• Brief your team so nobody adds a manual card fee at the register out of habit

• Run a test transaction on every channel you use, and confirm the total matches what's displayed

Where to go from here

We've put the full step-by-step version of this checklist into a free Nomni Surcharge Merchant Guide, as well as a toolkit with tips on how you can Protect and Grow Your Margin.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Do I need to remove the All cards surcharge setting in Nomni?

No configuration action is expected from you. Nomni will disable the affected setting for Australia-based stores. You must still review your remaining General Surcharge settings and test your payment channels.

Can I continue charging a weekend or public holiday surcharge?

Yes. The change applies to fees charged because a customer pays by card. It does not remove genuine weekend or public holiday surcharges. Existing price-display requirements still apply.

Can I replace the card surcharge with a service fee?

Only where it is a genuine service fee that does not depend on the customer's payment method. A fee that applies only when a customer pays by card is likely to remain a card surcharge, even when it has a different name.

Can I increase my menu prices?

Businesses generally decide their own prices and may include card acceptance costs within their overall advertised prices. Prices must be clear, accurate and not misleading.

I use a payment terminal that is not managed by Nomni. What should I do?

Contact the provider directly and confirm that its card surcharge setting will be removed before 1 October. Do not assume the Nomni update will change a standalone terminal.

What happens if an invoice was issued before 1 October but paid afterward?

Where the card payment takes place on or after 1 October, card surcharging may no longer be available, even if the invoice was issued earlier. Confirm the treatment with your payment provider.

Does this affect stores outside Australia?

No. Nomni's planned surcharge configuration changes are limited to Australia-based stores.