EFTPOS Fees Explained: What Australian Small Businesses Actually Pay

Card fees are one of the most confusing bills in small business — blended rates, interchange-plus, monthly terminal rentals, and statements that seem designed not to be read. Here's the plain-English version.

The pieces of a card fee

Every tap moves money through the card schemes, the customer's bank and your payments provider — each takes a slice. Providers package this either as a single blended percentage (simple, often dearer) or interchange-plus pricing (itemised, usually fairer at volume).

On top sit the extras: terminal rental, monthly 'account' fees, minimum monthly charges and paper statement fees. The extras are where cheap headline rates quietly become expensive.

Surcharging and least-cost routing

Australian businesses may pass on the reasonable cost of acceptance as a surcharge — no more than it actually costs you. Many venues instead build the cost into prices for a cleaner customer experience; both are legitimate.

Least-cost routing sends eligible debit taps through the cheapest network. If your provider hasn't enabled it, you're likely overpaying on the majority of your transactions — it's worth a direct question to them this week.

What good looks like

A fair setup in 2026: a transparent flat rate or honest interchange-plus, least-cost routing on, no lock-in terminal contract, and support that answers when the terminal drops mid-service.

RestoMate venues pay a flat 1% merchant fee with no lock-in — and because payments are integrated with the POS, there's no end-of-night reconciliation gap to chase. Want us to read your current merchant statement and tell you what you're really paying? Send it over on WhatsApp.