Australia Will Publish Card Fees. Check Yours Now

What Australia is changing

NAB's guide says the Reserve Bank of Australia published its conclusions on March 31, 2026, introducing three changes: an end to card surcharging from October 1, 2026, lower domestic interchange caps from the same date, and more fee transparency. On transparency, NAB says that from October 30, 2026 the major designated card schemes (Visa, Mastercard and eftpos) and large acquirers must publish their average merchant service fees quarterly, and that statements will show more information, including domestic versus foreign-issued cards and consumer versus commercial card transactions. NAB's stated aim is that comparing payment providers becomes easier.

Why it matters in North America

No US or Canadian rule requires processors to publish average fees. Rates are negotiated, statements differ from one provider to the next, and fees are often spread across many lines. That makes it hard to know whether you pay a fair price. The good news is that you do not need a regulator to find your own number. It is already on your statement.

Work out your effective rate in three steps

1. Add up every fee on one monthly statement: the percentage fees, per-transaction fees, network or assessment fees, monthly, statement, PCI and equipment fees. Not just the rate you were quoted. 2. Divide that total by your card sales for the same month. The result is your effective rate, the share of card sales you actually pay to accept cards. For example, if fees added up to 300 dollars on 10,000 dollars of card sales, your effective rate would be 3%. 3. Compare it with the same month last year, so seasonal changes in your sales mix do not mislead you. If the number went up and nobody told you why, that is worth a closer look.

Split it like Australia will

Australia's new statements separate domestic and foreign cards and consumer and commercial cards. You can do a rough version yourself. Most statements group sales by card brand and card type. Check what share of your sales came from rewards, business or foreign cards, since these usually cost more to accept. A rise in your effective rate is sometimes a change in your customers' cards, not your pricing. Knowing which helps you ask the right question.

What changes for multi-location and enterprise merchants

Calculate the effective rate for each location and each channel (in store, online, phone orders), not only the total. Differences between locations on the same contract can point to wrong pricing set-ups or extra fees on some accounts. Larger merchants on interchange-plus pricing should also separate pass-through costs from the processor's markup, because only the markup is negotiable. Track the numbers monthly in one sheet so changes stand out.

When to ask for a review

If your effective rate rose, if you cannot match fees to your contract, or if you have several statements that do not look alike, a line-by-line review helps. CELER Merchants reviews statements for free and explains every fee in plain language.