Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has announced a ban on surcharges on card payments, including eftpos, Mastercard, and Visa, including debit, prepaid, and credit, from 1 October 2026. The decision applies to all Australian businesses, including healthcare practices.
If you currently pass card processing fees on to patients, that changes in six months. If you don’t, there are still things worth reviewing before October arrives.
The good news? This reform comes with a meaningful upside. And with the right preparation, the transition is entirely manageable.
What the RBA’s decision actually changes
The RBA Conclusion Paper1 confirms three key changes:
- Surcharges are banned from 1 October 2026
No more passing card processing costs to patients as a separate line item. The cost of accepting card payments doesn’t disappear, it becomes an operating expense you manage within your overall pricing, like rent, software, or utilities.
A question we’re hearing a lot: “Does this mean I stop paying fees to my payment provider?”
No. Tyro Health’s fees reflect the real cost of processing card payments, and that doesn’t change because of this reform. What changes is your ability to add those costs on top of what patients pay. The underlying fees, however, are expected to fall, which brings us to point two.
- Interchange fee caps are dropping
The RBA is simultaneously lowering the caps on interchange fees on card payments, with small businesses expected to benefit most.
Tyro has a strong track record of passing savings on. We did this with least-cost routing in 2018 and again with the SMB Interchange Program in 2025. That program reduced merchant service fees on eligible debit transactions. We’re already reviewing our pricing ahead of 1 October, and we’ll keep you updated as that picture becomes clearer.
- Payment fees become more transparent
Designated card networks and large acquirers will be required to publish fee information, making it easier for merchants to compare providers and negotiate better deals.
(Note: American Express and multi-party networks were not in scope of the RBA’s recent review, however a separate RBA consultation is being considered in mid-2026.)
What this means for Australian healthcare businesses
As an illustrative example, if your practice processes $15,000 per month in card payments and currently applies a 1.5% surcharge, you’re recovering roughly $225/month that way. From October, that line item disappears from patient invoices. But as interchange fees fall, your net cost of acceptance is also expected to decrease.
The net impact will vary depending on your card mix, your pricing model, and your provider arrangements. But the starting point is understanding your current setup clearly, which is exactly what we can help you do.
If you’d like a clearer picture of what these changes could mean for your practice, we’re walking through real examples and practical next steps in a short upcoming webinar. Reserve your spot.
What healthcare businesses should do before October 1 2026
For now, it is business as usual.
You have roughly six months, which is enough time to prepare without last-minute disruption. The most practical thing to do now is understand your current setup and be ready to review your options.
Understand your current surcharge setup
If your practice currently applies a surcharge, start by understanding which payment types are surcharged, what rates are applied, and how much those surcharge amounts contribute overall. This gives you a clearer view of the commercial impact once the ban takes effect.
Review how your practice manages payment costs
The best approach will depend on your patient mix, business model, margins, and broader pricing strategy. Some practices will absorb the cost as-is. Others will use this moment to review their overall fee structure.
What you shouldn’t do is make a reactive decision without understanding your full cost base. If you’d like to talk through your options, Tyro Health’s local support team can walk you through your current cost of acceptance and what to expect post-October.
Update your patient-facing materials
From 1 October, any signage, website copy, or pricing materials that reference surcharges will need to be updated or removed. Build this into your prep timeline now so it doesn’t become a last-minute scramble.
What Tyro Health customers can expect
At Tyro Health, we’re focused on helping healthcare providers understand what’s changing, what it means for your practice, and what to expect as the reforms roll out.
For Tyro merchants, the transition is largely automatic. Tyro will remove surcharging functionality across all eftpos, Mastercard, and Visa transactions on 1 October 2026. In most cases, there is nothing you need to do on the terminal side.
If you’d prefer to remove your surcharge settings earlier, you can do so at any time through the Tyro Merchant Portal.
We’re already aligned with the direction of this reform: transparent pricing, clear fee structures, and a track record of passing cost reductions on to the practices we work with. As our pricing review progresses ahead of October, we’ll communicate any changes directly.
Not sure how the surcharge ban affects your practice? Get in touch to understand your current setup, your cost of acceptance, and what to expect before October.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Does this mean card payments are free for my practice from October?
No. The ban removes your ability to pass credit and debit processing costs, across eftpos, Mastercard, and Visa, to patients as a surcharge. The underlying cost of accepting card payments still applies, although it is expected to decrease as part of the same RBA reform package.
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Will my Tyro invoices and settlement reports look different?
The main change is that the surcharge line item will no longer appear on your invoice. Everything else stays the same.
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I’m not currently surcharging. Does this affect me?
Not significantly. If you’re not surcharging today, there will be little change to how your practice handles payments. Over time, you may benefit from lower acceptance costs as interchange reductions take effect.
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What does the ban mean for my patients?
For most patients, this is a positive change. Surcharges have long been a source of frustration, with research from the RBA highlighting that 76% of Australians wanted them removed, while only 13% were consistently informed about them before paying. Removing that uncertainty improves the payment experience, especially in healthcare, where patients are already navigating Medicare rebates, gap fees and private health fund claiming.
A no-surcharge environment means the price a patient sees is the price they pay. That simplicity helps build trust.
Disclaimers
Tyro Health provides this article for general information and educational purposes only. The information provided must not be relied upon as legal, tax or financial advice. The regulatory framework referenced is based on the RBA’s Conclusions Paper published 31 March 2026. Practices should seek independent advice where appropriate.