On 1 October 2026, the Reserve Bank of Australia's card surcharge ban takes effect. From that date, venues can no longer pass card processing fees to customers as a line-item surcharge — and for most Australian hospitality operators, that's a real number that needs replacing.
The question isn't whether you'll lose surcharge revenue. It's whether you have a plan to recover it. Venues that started building that plan early — adding smarter ordering, upsell prompts and direct online channels — are already seeing results. Those that wait until October will be starting cold.
Here's how to close the gap before it opens.
1.65%
Typical surcharge rate currently passed to customers
90%+
Of Australian payments now made by card
1 Oct '26
Date the RBA surcharge ban takes effect
What's Happening on 1 October
The RBA reviewed card surcharging as part of its Payments System Review and determined that surcharges are no longer justified as a consumer cost-recovery mechanism. From 1 October 2026, venues cannot pass card processing costs to customers as a surcharge on eftpos, Visa or Mastercard consumer transactions.
Your underlying merchant service fees don't go away. You'll still pay your acquiring bank their processing costs. Those costs simply become yours to absorb — or to recover through smarter operations elsewhere in the business.
How Much Is Your Venue Exposed?
At a 1.65% surcharge rate: a venue processing $50,000 per month in card payments absorbs around $825 per month ($9,900 per year). A busier venue at $150,000 per month faces nearly $2,500 per month — or $30,000 per year — that needs to come from somewhere else.
"The surcharge ban removes a line item from your P&L. The venues that come out ahead are the ones that replace it with something better — not something louder."
— Ai-Menu, July 2026
Where the New Margin Comes From
1
Higher average order value through smart upsellingAi-Kiosk and Ai-QR consistently drive 10–20% higher average spend. Customers browse at their own pace and add on without feeling rushed. Every order gets the upsell prompt — no staff required.
2
Your team focuses on service, not order-takingWhen customers order themselves via Ai-Tablet or QR, your floor team handles more covers with the same energy — serving, upselling in person, and creating the experience that builds loyalty.
3
Direct online orders at 3% — not 30%+Ai-Takeaway captures online orders directly — no third-party commission. Shifting even 20% of your delivery orders from Uber Eats or DoorDash to direct is meaningful margin recovery before you change anything operationally.
4
Capture missed bookings and phone ordersAi-Booking takes reservations online 24/7 — no missed calls, no voicemail, no lost table. Every booking captured is revenue that would otherwise have walked to a competitor.
5
Integrated payments — no manual reconciliationAi-Pay sits inside the same system as your POS. Every payment is automatically matched to the right table, order and shift — no end-of-night reconciliation headache, no payment errors.
The Connected Platform Advantage
Each of these levers delivers independently. But the real power is when they work together. A customer books via Ai-Booking, arrives to a table where they order via Ai-QR, the kitchen sees it on Ai-BumpX, and payment is collected through Ai-Pay — automatically reconciled in Ai-Manager. One connected system. No friction. No missed revenue.
Calculate your surcharge exposure.Monthly card volume × 1.65% = your starting number. Know what you're replacing before October arrives.
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Audit your delivery platform fees.If you're paying 25–30%+ commission to third-party platforms, the 3% direct channel through Ai-Takeaway closes most of your surcharge gap on its own.
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Look at your peak-hour ordering flow.Kiosk and QR ordering both lift average spend 10–20%. That lift alone often exceeds the surcharge revenue being lost.
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Talk to our team before October.We can model your specific surcharge exposure and map exactly where the platform closes the gap — before the ban takes effect.
Replace lost surcharge revenue with smarter operations.
Get a free margin assessment and see exactly where the Ai-Menu platform closes the gap for your venue — before 1 October.
Common questions from hospitality operators across Australia
The RBA's card surcharge ban takes effect on 1 October 2026, covering consumer eftpos, Visa and Mastercard transactions. From that date, venues cannot pass card processing costs to customers as a line-item surcharge at checkout.
Not automatically. Your underlying processing fees remain — you simply can't recover them from customers via a surcharge at checkout. That's why building operational margin recovery through ordering efficiency and direct sales is important ahead of October.
The most effective levers are: higher average order value through kiosk and QR upsell prompts (typically 10–20% lift), direct online ordering via Ai-Takeaway at 3% vs 30%+ from delivery platforms, and capturing missed bookings through Ai-Booking. Each works independently and compounds when combined.
The RBA reform targets consumer debit and credit card surcharges on the major networks — eftpos, Visa and Mastercard. Business card transactions and some other payment types may be treated differently. Confirm the specifics with your acquiring bank or payment provider.
