The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) is reviewing card fees – and many businesses don’t realise how much they’re leaking.
The RBA’s Payments System Board is progressing its review of merchant card payment costs and surcharging, including whether interchange caps should be reduced and how commercial cards are treated.
One concern is that without further action, any fee reductions may not flow through to merchants unless competition and transparency improve.
Why this matters for cash flow
Card fees often feel invisible, but they can quietly erode margins:
- Merchant statements are complex and opaque.
- Surcharges don’t always recover full costs.
- Providers rarely volunteer cheaper options.
With the RBA set to publish conclusions and an implementation timeline by March, now is a sensible time to audit what you’re paying.
Check for leakage
Optimising cash flow isn’t just about interest rates. It can also mean reducing hidden transaction costs, using working capital facilities to smooth timing gaps and building buffers where payment cycles fluctuate.
If you’d like to identify where money may be slipping out of your business, Contact Us and we’ll review payment costs alongside funding options.