kabarsula ‘We fought this change hard’: RBA surcharge ban begins despite concerns bandar SLOT INDONESIA

Travel businesses can no longer pass on the cost of accepting Visa, Mastercard or eftpos payments through card surcharges, as the RBA’s surcharge ban takes effect today.

The new rules came into force on 1 October, three months later than originally planned following lobbying from the Australian Travel Industry Association (ATIA) and other business groups.

American Express sits outside the RBA’s regulated framework but has separately prohibited surcharging under its merchant terms from the same date.

ATIA CEO Dean Long said the association would continue challenging the evidence underpinning the RBA’s decision, after two years of campaigning against the change.

“We fought this change hard and we will continue to raise our concerns with the evidence the RBA has based its decision on,” Long said.

“We took our concerns to the Reserve Bank twice in writing, met with them directly, and took the issue to Government and the Opposition, and that pressure bought members an extra three months to prepare.”

ATIA had warned that preventing businesses from recovering card acceptance costs through surcharges would shift those costs onto travel businesses and, ultimately, into broader consumer prices.

While the ban has now taken effect, ATIA said it would continue pressing the RBA over the evidence used to justify the policy as the impact on pricing across the payments market becomes clearer.

Travel businesses weigh up alternatives

ATIA has released a six-part series of fact sheets to help travel businesses adapt to the changes, covering payment processing, service fees, alternative payment methods, discounts and transitional bookings.

The guidance includes information on blended and interchange-plus-plus payment pricing, least-cost routing and lower-cost options including PayTo and PayID.

It also addresses the circumstances in which businesses may charge a genuine service fee without it becoming a card surcharge by another name, as well as offering discounts to customers using lower-cost payment methods.

The association has also held a webinar for members covering potential pricing approaches and compliance considerations.

“No two travel businesses are in the same position on payments, so we have focused on providing the tools and information for each member to map the best path forward,” Long said.

“While we’ve lost the fight in terms of the ban being put in place, we will keep pressing the Reserve Bank on the case it used to justify this decision, and we’re taking that conversation to members at Beyond Borders.”

ATIA will also hold a dedicated session on communicating the changes to consumers at its Beyond Borders conference.