Navigating a Shift in Payments: What It Means for You

If you've seen the recent announcement from the RBA, you'll know Australia's payments landscape is undergoing a large shift, with changes to card surcharging and the underlying costs of payment processing. We view this as a positive step toward greater industry transparency, and we're getting on the front foot so you can too.

What’s Been Announced

1. No more surcharging on most cards. From October 1, you won’t be able to pass card payment costs on to customers as a card surcharge for eftpos, Mastercard or Visa transactions, whether debit, credit or prepaid. This applies to in person ("card present") and online or manual entry transactions ("card not present"). 
2. Reduced underlying costs. The RBA is reducing existing caps on domestic interchange fees – one part of the underlying cost of payments – with caps on interchange fees for international cards following in 2027. 
3. Increased transparency. Card networks and large acquirers will have new reporting requirements, with more detailed and standardised statements for merchants.

The RBA will also commence a separate consultation in mid-2026 focused on e-commerce platforms and a few other items like buy-now-pay-later. We welcome this and plan to actively participate – transparent, fair pricing is good for the businesses we serve.

Our Commitment to Fair Pricing

Bopple has always been ahead of the curve, offering a discounted processing rate of 1.6% + $0.00 for all card payments processed with Stripe for Australian businesses on the Bopple platform – a rate already significantly lower than most online payment providers, including retail pricing from Stripe, which many ordering platforms pass on to merchants in full. 

Our Proactive Plan

We are using this moment of industry change as an opportunity to reinforce our commitment to help hospitality businesses start, run, grow, and ultimately succeed. 

• Overall pricing and value review. We are reviewing our entire pricing structure, including software fees, platform rates and payment processing fees, to ensure Bopple remains the optimal option for every business we serve, large or small.
• Clear communication ahead of time. You won’t be surprised. If your pricing is going to change, you’ll hear from us directly, with plenty of notice and a clear explanation of why.

What This Means for You

Right now, nothing changes – it's business as usual. You're able to use card surcharges until October 1, 2026. 

Thinking ahead to October, if you're passing on card surcharges, now is the ideal time to review your menu pricing and consider the cost of payments that are being offset by surcharges, both in-store and online. Some businesses are planning on changes to their pricing ahead of October 1, for a smoother transition. 

Focusing on customer loyalty is essential. Businesses with strong regular customer bases are best placed to navigate price adjustments. Bopple's platform provides the tools to strengthen these connections and grow lifetime value, ensuring long-term resilience as the landscape changes.

We’ve Got Your Back

Change at this scale can feel unsettling, but we’ve been through major shifts in this industry before and we’ll get through this one together.

Our commitment to you is straightforward: keep evolving the platform to help your business grow, keep our pricing honest, and keep you informed every step of the way. 

More updates to follow as information becomes available. In the meantime, if you have any questions you can reach our team at help.bopple.com