What changed for paying bills by card: a dated log
Card payment rules in Australia changed a lot in October 2026. Each entry links to the primary source.
| Date | What changed | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 31 Mar 2026 | The RBA publishes its conclusions: card surcharges to be removed from 1 Oct 2026. | RBA media release (opens in a new tab) |
| 1 Oct 2026 | eftpos, Mastercard and Visa introduce no-surcharge rules. American Express and UnionPay also remove surcharging. Lower interchange caps apply to domestic cards. | RBA FAQ (opens in a new tab) |
| 1 Oct 2026 | The ATO announces it will stop accepting credit cards after 30 Nov 2026. Its card payment page now says card payment fees do not apply. | ATO media release (opens in a new tab) |
| 1 Oct 2026 | pay.com.au raises its Mastercard fee by 0.2% on every plan (free plan 1.00% to 1.20% + GST), matching Visa. | pay.com.au FAQ (opens in a new tab) |
| 5 Oct 2026 | PayPal's no-surcharge rule takes effect. | RBA FAQ (opens in a new tab) |
| 6 Oct 2026 | Card The Bill rebuilt with a page per topic, dated fees and a fee vs points calculator. | This site |
| 30 Oct 2026 (upcoming) | Card networks and large acquirers start publishing card payment fee information. | RBA FAQ (opens in a new tab) |
| 30 Nov 2026 (upcoming) | Last day to pay the ATO directly by credit card. | ATO media release (opens in a new tab) |
| 1 Apr 2027 (upcoming) | Interchange caps apply to foreign-issued cards, and merchants get more detailed statements. | RBA FAQ (opens in a new tab) |
Bills that stopped taking cards
Since surcharges were removed, some billers have stopped accepting cards rather than absorb merchant fees. We only list billers we can confirm from the biller's own announcement:
- The ATO: no credit cards after 30 Nov 2026. How to keep paying tax by card.
Sniip also reports that some billers who send DEFT bills, such as strata managers, have removed card payments since 1 Oct 2026. Seen a bill that stopped taking cards? Email hello@cardthebill.com.au with the biller's notice and we'll add it once verified.