- Short answer
- No: from 1 Oct 2026 a Visa, Mastercard or eftpos card in Apple Pay or Google Pay can't be surcharged in Australia unless network rules allow it.
- Rule's source
- Each card network's own rules, in line with RBA policy; explained on cardsurcharge.com.au, coordinated by AusPayNet.
- Cards the wallet rule names
- eftpos, Mastercard and Visa; a card network's rules may permit exceptions, so ask your provider.
- Amex, JCB, UnionPay
- Own no-surcharge position from October 1, 2026; confirm an Amex card in a wallet with your provider.
- In Shopify
- No built-in surcharge on the pages we read; turn off the app or POS fee.
- Still allowed
- Fees not linked to a customer's choice to pay by card.
Does the card surcharge ban cover Apple Pay and Google Pay?
Still charging extra for wallet payments? From October 1, 2026, businesses in Australia may no longer surcharge eftpos, Mastercard and Visa cards, under card network rules set in line with RBA policy. The networks' site, cardsurcharge.com.au, coordinated by AusPayNet, covers wallets directly:
The changes apply to card payment surcharges on eftpos, Mastercard, and Visa cards for all in-store, online and digital transactions, including when they are completed by using cards stored in mobile wallets unless otherwise permitted by a card network’s rules…
Which cards the wallet rule names
- eftpos, Mastercard and Visa: the designated networks, and the ones the wallet wording names.
- American Express, JCB and UnionPay: outside formal RBA regulation, with their own no-surcharge position from October 1, 2026. For an Amex card in a wallet, confirm with your provider.
- Network exceptions: the cardsurcharge.com.au pages we read on October 24, 2026 name none for wallets. Each network sets its own exceptions and may change them; ask your provider.
What to change in your Shopify store
Turn off any card or wallet fee your app or POS adds. The Shopify help pages we read in October 2026 on wallet and POS card payments, checkout customization and POS custom fees describe no built-in surcharge by payment method, so check your apps, your POS custom fees and any external card terminal from a third-party payment processor; see where a card surcharge comes from on Shopify.
On Shopify Payments in Australia, Apple Pay and Google Pay switch on automatically, so check for a wallet fee even if you never added them.
Compliance is your responsibility, and a business that keeps surcharging may be contacted by its provider or bank and face penalties.
You can still charge fees not linked to a customer's choice to pay by card.
PayPal, Afterpay and bank transfer sit outside these card network rules, though the RBA lists PayPal's own no-surcharge rule from October 5, 2026, and Afterpay's Australian merchant agreement, in its last archived copy (November 2025), bars surcharging online Afterpay orders; see surcharging PayPal or Afterpay in Australia.
- Can an Australian Shopify store still surcharge PayPal or Afterpay?
- Can you add a credit card surcharge on Shopify?
- What fees have to be in the total price on an Australian Shopify store?
- Can you offer a cash discount instead of a credit card surcharge on Shopify?
- Shop Pay vs Apple Pay vs Google Pay on Shopify
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