Why pay card surcharge fees? Why Fee-Free Shops matter

What is a fee-free shop?

When they “tap & go”, many Aussies are unwittingly overpaying for everyday purchases. Payment card surcharges are eating away at bank balances one transaction at a time. Finder believes consumers shouldn’t be hit with a surcharge or minimum spend amount for using their credit, debit or prepaid card. Our Fee-Free Shop campaign in 2018 highlighted and recognised shops that don't charge extra for this convenience. It's no longer active, but we continue to advocate for consumers getting the best deal and not paying unnecessary fees.

Why should consumers pay more for using cards instead of cash?

It's official, more Australians now use their cards to pay for everyday purchases than cash. Whether it's a quick coffee through to a full grocery shop, cash is no longer king when it comes to how we pay.

Despite this, many retailers continue to hit shoppers with a surcharge of up to 3%, just for choosing to pay with their cards.

At Finder, we think processing card payments should be considered just another cost of doing business, like keeping the lights on or paying staff, and shouldn't be passed on to customers. When we surveyed the nation, 94% of our fellow Aussies agreed that surcharge fees are a rip off.

In 2017 the RBA banned excessive card surcharges which helped reduce the cost to consumers paying by card, but we don't think consumers should have to cover the cost of paying with a card at all.

On top of surcharges, some retailers enforce excessive minimum spends for paying with plastic, and it's all legal.

Surcharges are bad for business: While we recognise that using the interchange network is a genuine cost and we support small business, retailers who absorb this cost and dump minimum spend requirements will ultimately build better customer loyalty which means more success for business.

How much can I save on card fees?

What you pay as a card surcharge fee depends on the retailer, the type of card you use and the amount of money you spend. While it’s usually around 0.5% of the transaction value for debit card purchases, it could be up to 3% for some credit cards.

If you bought coffee and lunch five days a week and paid a 1.5% card surcharge fee each time, it would cost you $50.62 per year. That might not seem like a lot, but that's just coffee and lunch.

Frequently Asked Questions

• What is a surcharge fee?

  A surcharge fee is an additional charge on your purchase for using a debit/credit card to pay. Shops have to pay to process card transactions and can choose whether or not to pass this cost onto consumers. Fee-Free Shops recognise that minimum spend amounts are annoying, that debit/credit is convenient, and don’t pass this charge on.

• How much do surcharge fees cost?

  It varies from shop to shop based on the cards they accept and the processors they use. Retailers can only charge what it costs them to process a transaction (including terminal costs and bank fees). This varies, for a typical debit card it costs about 0.5%, for a Visa or Mastercard it can anywhere between 1% - 2% and for American Express can be between 2% - 3%. If a retailer chooses to set a flat surcharge, they can only charge at the lowest cost level of accepted payment methods, not the average. So if a merchant wants to charge a flat surcharge fee and it costs 0.5% to process a Visa Debit transaction, and 3% to process an American Express Credit Card transaction, the surcharge can be set at a maximum of 0.5% of transaction value.