Australia · payments
Australia card surcharge changes — 1 October 2026
What the Reserve Bank reforms mean for Client Diary businesses, and how to prepare.
From 1 October 2026, Australia is changing the rules on card surcharges.
For payments on the standard card networks, businesses will no longer be allowed to add an extra fee, percentage, or surcharge just because the client pays by card. Clients should see the full price of the service. No card-only top-up at checkout.
This page is for Client Diary customers in Australia (and anyone using our payments features under Australian rules). We will keep updating it as final details land.
This is general product guidance, not legal advice. For the official rules, see the RBA FAQs on removal of payment surcharges and ACCC guidance on card surcharges. If you need advice for your specific setup, talk to your accountant or adviser.
What is changing?
Under the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) reforms taking effect on 1 October 2026, card surcharging is banned for the standard card networks.
| Network | Cards affected | Can you add a card surcharge? |
|---|---|---|
| eftpos | Debit and prepaid | No |
| Mastercard | Credit, debit and prepaid | No |
| Visa | Credit, debit and prepaid | No |
| American Express | Credit | No |
In practice: do not add any card surcharge on these payments. No extra fee, percentage, or top-up because the client paid by card. You also cannot set different card surcharges for different cards. The “pay by Visa vs Mastercard” fee split goes away for surcharging.
These rules cover fees added because the client chose to pay by card.
What this is not
The reform does not automatically ban every kind of extra charge a business might use. Things like weekend rates, public holiday rates, genuine booking fees, or service-specific pricing are different from a payment-method surcharge.
If you are unsure whether something in your price list is a card surcharge, check with your adviser. Also check any wording clients see (website, booking terms, signage, SMS).
What Client Diary will do for you
You should not need to dig through payment settings to stay compliant for the built-in pass-on options.
-
Pass-on settings will be removed
Settings that let you pass card / Stripe processing fees on to the client will be removed from Client Diary. That stops anyone accidentally adding a banned card surcharge after 1 October. -
We update the payment setup
You do not need to change payment settings yourself for this. Client Diary will handle the platform side. -
Card processing stays with the business
Stripe and card processing rates can change. Current rates are on Stripe Integration. Those fees stay with the business. They cannot be added because the client paid by card. -
The platform booking fee is your choice
On Payment Links, Client Diary charges a 1.05% platform booking fee. You choose whether the business or the customer covers it. Stripe fees always stay with the business. Online bookings, online vouchers, and the card terminal do not have a pass-fees option. Details below.
What you should do before 1 October
1. Decide how you will handle the cost
Once you cannot surcharge the card, the card processing cost sits with the business. Broadly you can:
- Absorb it — keep prices as they are; processing stays an operating cost
- Build it into your prices — raise some or all service prices so the fee is covered in the ticket price
- Use a mix — absorb some, adjust some prices
There is no single right answer for every business.
The platform booking fee on Payment Links is separate from that card processing cost. You can leave the 1.05% with the business, or add it to the payment link. Stripe fees always stay with the business. Online bookings, online vouchers, and the card terminal do not have a pass-fees option.
2. If you raise prices, use Bulk Price Update
Client Diary has a Bulk Price Update tool so you do not have to edit every service by hand.
You can:
- Increase (or decrease) by a percentage or a fixed dollar amount
- Work category by category
- Update base prices or a selected tier price
- Review the calculated list, then fine-tune individual rows
- Round up to the nearest 10¢, 50¢, or $1 so prices stay clean
- Apply everything in one save (for the location you are signed into)
Help doc: Bulk Price Update
Path in the app: Services → Advanced Tools → Bulk Price Update.
Prices are updated per location. Switch location in the top-right selector before you run the tool for another site.
3. Update anything clients still see about “card surcharges”
If your website, online booking copy, price list, emails, SMS templates, or signage mention a card surcharge, update or remove that wording before 1 October.
Also review written policies and terms (cancellation, deposits, booking terms). If they mention a card payment surcharge, update them ready for the change.
4. Do not invent a “card-only” workaround
Marking up only when someone pays by card is what the reform is aimed at. If you need to cover costs, build them into your normal service prices (or absorb them). That keeps pricing honest and simpler for clients.
Who pays the platform booking fee
On Payment Links, Client Diary charges a 1.05% platform booking fee. That fee is for the payment link. It stays in place whichever way the money is taken.
Client Diary takes these payments by card through Stripe. If the same payment link were paid by bank deposit, or by some other method, the 1.05% would still be there. Client Diary does not offer bank deposit. The fee follows the payment link, so it would still apply.
You choose who covers that fee.
Business pays. The 1.05% stays with the business.
Customer pays. The 1.05% is added to the payment link.
Stripe fees on a payment link always stay with the business.
Online bookings, online vouchers, and the card terminal do not have a pass-fees option. Stripe fees on those payments stay with the business.
The platform booking fee is a flat 1.05%. It does not change with Visa, Mastercard, eftpos or Amex.
From 1 October 2026, Australian rules ban a surcharge added because someone pays by card. The platform booking fee is charged on the payment link, including in a case where the payment was not by card. Show the customer what they will pay, on the payment link and in your terms.
Example: $100 payment
Figures below use a $100 sale (plus any platform booking fee added to the link). Stripe rates can change. Check current rates on Stripe Integration.
| Payment type | Can pass fees to client? | Stripe fee (business pays) | Client Diary fee | Client pays | Business receives |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Online booking | No | 1.65% + A$0.30 → $1.95 | None → $0.00 | $100.00 | $98.05 |
| Online voucher | No | 1.65% + A$0.30 → $1.95 | None → $0.00 | $100.00 | $98.05 |
| Payment link, not passed on | Only the platform booking fee | 1.65% + A$0.30 → $1.95 | 1.05% → $1.05 (business pays) | $100.00 | $97.00 |
| Payment link, passed on | Only the platform booking fee | 1.65% + A$0.30 on $101.05 → $1.97 | 1.05% → $1.05 (client pays) | $101.05 | $98.03 |
| Terminal | No | Included in platform fee | Platform fee 1.70% + A$0.30 → $2.00 | $100.00 | $98.00 |
- Terminal platform fee: this is the one fee Client Diary collects on terminal payments. It covers Stripe’s 1.65% + A$0.10 ($1.75 here), and the remaining 0.05% + A$0.20 ($0.25) is the Client Diary margin.
- Online bookings and vouchers: Client Diary takes no fee. Before this change it took 1.05% only when the business passed fees on, and that option is now gone.
- Payment links: the 1.05% platform booking fee is always charged. The setting only decides who pays it, the client or the business. Stripe’s fee is always paid by the business.
Frequently asked questions
How will payment processing and transaction fees work from 1 October?
Stripe and card processing fees stay with the business. Current rates are on Stripe Integration. They cannot be added because the client paid by card.
The platform booking fee on Payment Links is separate. It is 1.05%, and you choose whether the business or the customer covers it. Stripe fees always stay with the business. Online bookings, online vouchers, and the card terminal do not have a pass-fees option.
Will fees currently passed on to clients need to be removed?
Card and Stripe processing pass-on will be removed, so those fees cannot be charged to clients through the product after the change.
The 1.05% platform booking fee on Payment Links is different. You can leave it with the business, or add it to the payment link. Stripe fees always stay with the business. Online bookings, online vouchers, and the card terminal do not have a pass-fees option.
Do I need to change settings in my account?
No for the built-in payment pass-on options. Client Diary will update the platform side. You still own client-facing wording, policies, and any price-list decisions.
Can different cards still have different surcharges?
No. Under the reforms, you cannot add different surcharges for eftpos, Visa, Mastercard or Amex on the covered card types. Do not charge anything extra because they paid by card.
What about weekend or public holiday rates?
Those are not the same thing as a card surcharge. The reform targets fees tied to the payment method. Keep genuine service pricing rules clear and separate from “pay by card = extra”.
I am outside Australia. Does this affect me?
This page is about the Australian reform. If your business takes Australian card payments under these rules, treat this as relevant. For other countries, keep using your local payment settings and ask us if you are unsure.
Official reading
- Reserve Bank of Australia — search for payment surcharge / surcharging reforms
- ACCC — card surcharges
- Client Diary: Bulk Price Update help
Need help?
If you want a second pair of eyes on deposits, online booking payments, or whether something in your setup looks like a card surcharge, contact support.
We would rather you ask early than guess on 1 October.