Card Surcharge Reforms

The Townsville Chamber is encouraging businesses to prepare for the removal of eftpos, Visa and Mastercard surcharges from 1st October 2026. While the reforms are designed to improve transparency and reduce costs for consumers, many local businesses remain concerned that the costs of accepting electronic payments will continue, despite losing the ability to recover them directly through a surcharge.

With businesses already facing rising costs across wages, insurance, energy and rent, many operators are questioning whether any reductions in merchant fees will be enough to offset the loss of surcharge revenue. The Chamber is hearing concerns that the changes could increase cost pressures on small businesses, lead to higher prices for consumers, reduce transparency around payment processing costs, and place regional businesses at a further disadvantage.

We will continue advocating for greater transparency, education and support to ensure Townsville businesses are not left carrying additional costs as these reforms are implemented.