- Short answer
- No. Amex is outside the RBA change but dropped surcharging itself, and the ACCC lists it among cards you can't surcharge from October 1, 2026.
- Why Amex is different
- Not an RBA-designated network; Amex decided to remove surcharging itself, per the ACCC.
- Amex in Apple Pay or Google Pay
- No checked page says directly; our reading of Amex's terms: no wallet exception, so don't surcharge it.
- JCB and UnionPay
- Also a no-surcharge position from October 1, 2026, per AusPayNet.
- Breach with your own Amex agreement
- A material breach: Amex may suspend or cancel your merchant facility.
Does the RBA's October 2026 change cover American Express?
Not directly, but the result is the same. The RBA's change covers only the designated networks, eftpos, Mastercard and Visa, from October 1, 2026, per its conclusions-paper FAQ. Amex is not currently subject to the RBA's formal regulation.
Amex also decided to remove surcharging, and the ACCC lists American Express among the cards businesses can no longer surcharge. With your own Amex Australia agreement, the rule is in Amex's merchant terms, Edition October 2026:
You must not charge, impose, recover or attempt to recover from any Card Member any fee, surcharge, or additional amount in connection with or as a condition of accepting the Card.
AusPayNet says JCB and UnionPay have also implemented a no-surcharge position.
What to change in your Shopify store
With Shopify Payments in Australia, card payments, American Express among them, activate automatically.
- The ACCC lists Amex among cards you can't surcharge, so this route is covered too.
- Card networks or payment service providers enforce the no-surcharge rules, not the ACCC.
- Section 2.c bars charging Card Members any fee or surcharge for accepting the Card.
- A breach is material: Amex may immediately suspend or cancel your merchant facility.
Either way, turn the Amex surcharge off wherever you added it and recover the cost through prices, then check which fees an Australian total price has to include.
Does the rule cover Amex in Apple Pay or Google Pay?
No page we checked says so directly: on October 24 and 25, 2026 we read the RBA FAQ, the ACCC, AusPayNet and Amex Australia's merchant pages, terms and regulations. AusPayNet's wallet sentence covers only eftpos, Mastercard and Visa cards.
Our reading: Amex's terms define a Card as “any card or account access capability” with no wallet exception, and on contactless hardware Shopify POS lets customers present any supported card brand loaded in Apple Pay or Google Pay. So don't surcharge an Amex card in a wallet either.
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