Note for customers outside Australia: this change is specific to Australian card network rules and doesn't apply outside Australia. If you're not based in Australia, you don't need to make any changes because of this announcement. See our FAQ for more detail.
If you are corporate customer please see the corporate customer section
What the RBA announced
The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) announced changes designed to end card surcharges in Australia. From 1 October 2026, businesses will no longer be able to add an extra charge simply because a customer pays by debit or credit card.The RBA is making this happen through the rules of the card networks rather than through a blanket law. It has removed its previous restriction on "no-surcharge" rules, which means the eftpos, Mastercard and Visa networks can now introduce their own rules banning surcharges on their networks from 1 October 2026.
Importantly, the RBA has been specific about what the change covers. As it explains in its own FAQs, the changes only apply to surcharges added because a customer pays by card. Weekend surcharges, public holiday surcharges, booking fees and service fees are not affected by this change.
What this means for Cover Fee
We'd encourage every nonprofit customer to keep Cover Fee enabled. Cover Fee helps more of each donation go towards your organisation's work. With 70% of donors choosing to keep it selected when offered, it can make a meaningful, ongoing difference across your campaigns.
If you don't currently have Cover Fee enabled, now is a good time to consider adding it to your donation forms. Supporters remain in control of whether they contribute, while your organisation has the opportunity to retain more from the donations it receives.
The one thing that matters now is making sure your labels and descriptions use the right, contribution-focused language, covered below. This isn't about disabling anything. It's about how Cover Fee is described to your supporters.
We’ve released a Cover Fee patch update
To help every customer stay aligned with the RBA's changes, an upcoming Payments2Us patch will update our standard customer-facing terminology from "Cover Transaction Fee" to “Cover Admin Fee.” This is a terminology and presentation change only. Cover Fee is not being removed, disabled or switched off.
The update should apply automatically for most customers, but there may be a small number of cases where the wording does not update. We therefore recommend reviewing your live forms to confirm the new wording is showing correctly.
If your organisation uses a custom Cover Fee label or description, you’ll need to review and update it manually. The patch updates our standard, out-of-the-box terminology, but it cannot overwrite custom text.
❌ Words to avoid
Your Cover Fee labels and descriptions should never suggest that it's a charge for using a card. Avoid:
- "Surcharge" or “card surcharge”
- "Card fee" or “credit card fee”
- "Cover Transaction Fee" or “transaction fee”
- “Processing fee”
- Any wording tied to a specific card, card network, or type of payment (for example, naming Visa, Mastercard or eftpos in your Cover Fee text, or referring to "card payments" specifically)
✅ Words that are okay
Contribution-focused language keeps Cover Fee clearly separate from a surcharge. Good examples include:
- “Cover Admin Fee”
- “Help cover our costs”
- “Add a contribution to support our work”
- "Help more of your donation go towards our mission"
For more examples and full suggested wording, see our Suggested Cover Fee Wording article.
For Corporate customers
Cover Admin Fee is built around the idea of a supporter contributing towards the cost of their donation. Corporate customers aren't collecting donations, so that contribution framing doesn't apply to your payments in the same way. To stay aligned with the RBA's changes, we recommend turning off Cover Admin Fee across your entire Payments2Us account.
Cover fee checklist
Keep Cover Fee enabled and complete these checks before 1 October 2026:
- Review your label and description. Check the exact text your supporters see when Cover Fee is offered, including any custom wording you've added.
- Use contribution-focused wording. Replace any of the words to avoid above with wording from the "Words that are OK" list or our Suggested Cover Fee Wording article.
- Check every payment use case. Review Cover Fee wording across all of your payment flows, not just standard individual donations. This includes corporate donations, sponsorships, event payments, memberships and any other payment type your organisation collects through Payments2Us. Use the same contribution-focused terminology everywhere, rather than wording tied to a particular card or payment method, so the language stays consistent no matter how someone gives. For help reviewing your configuration, see our Cover Fee Configuration article.
- Check the supporter experience. Walk through your donation and payment forms as a supporter would, to make sure the Cover Fee wording reads clearly and doesn't resemble a card surcharge anywhere in the journey.
FAQ
Does this mean Cover Fee is being removed or changed by Payments2Us?
No. Cover Fee remains a fully supported feature. We recommend keeping it enabled for standard individual donations.
Do I have to do anything before 1 October 2026?
Yes, but it's straightforward. Review your Cover Fee labels and descriptions against the wording guidance above, and complete the checklist below. For standard individual donations, you don't need to disable Cover Fee, just review the wording. For corporate and other non-standard payment types, Cover Fee needs to be turned off.
Does this apply outside of Australia
This article covers the RBA's changes, which apply to Australia only. If your organisation also operates or processes donations in other countries, please check the local regulations that apply there, as they may differ from what's described here.
Is this legal advice from Payments2Us?
No. This is general guidance only, based on our understanding of publicly available regulatory information, not legal, financial, or compliance advice. Please check with your own advisors on what the RBA's changes mean for your organisation.
This article is general guidance only and does not constitute legal, financial, or compliance advice. Please consult your own advisors regarding your organisation's obligations under the RBA's regulatory changes.
https://www.rba.gov.au/payments-and-infrastructure/review-of-retail-payments-regulation/2026-03/