How we compare payment providers
We list 21 payment providers available to Australian businesses. 7 providers publish a rate we can cost from. The rest show as a quote in the calculator. Several of those still publish a headline rate, listed in the tables below, while others price on your industry, your turnover and your chargeback risk. We do not estimate what a quoting provider would charge. Every figure comes from the provider's own pricing page.
The calculator takes your monthly card volume, your average sale and your split between in-person and online, and works out each published provider's monthly cost from its rate, its per-transaction fee and its monthly fee. Enter your current rate to see the difference. Commission does not change the order.
What the October 2026 surcharge ban does to payment providers
From 1 October 2026, surcharging is banned in Australia on eftpos, Visa and Mastercard, debit and credit. Foreign card interchange caps follow on 1 April 2027.
If you pass the card fee to your customers today, this changes what you are buying. A merchant who surcharges barely notices the rate, because the customer pays it. From October the fee lands on your margin, on every card sale.
Two things follow. Model your costs as though you cannot surcharge, because shortly you cannot. And the ban does not cover American Express or other three-party schemes, so if Amex is a real share of your takings, its rate can still be passed on and is worth negotiating separately.
In-person rates and monthly fees across payment providers
Providers here come in two shapes. Some charge a monthly fee and publish a lower rate. Others charge nothing monthly and publish a higher rate. Neither is cheaper in general. The percentage applies to everything you sell and the monthly fee is fixed, so there is a turnover where the two cross. The calculator finds that point for your numbers.
| Provider | In-person rate | Monthly fee |
|---|---|---|
| Bendigo Bank | 1.3% | From $19/mo |
| CommBank Smart | 0.99% | $29.50/mo |
| NAB | 1.05% | $25/mo |
| Square | 1.6% | Free |
| Stripe | 1.65% + $0.10 | Free |
| SumUp | 1.4% | Free |
| Tyro | 1.3% | From $19/mo |
| Westpac | 0.79% | $24.75/mo |
| Zeller | 1.4% | Free |
Where a monthly fee reads "from", it is a floor. The per-transaction fee is the third term and it decides small baskets: a flat few cents means nothing on a large invoice and a lot on a coffee. Providers on the same percentage can be far apart for a cafe and identical for a plumber.
Adyen publishes IC++ + 0.6% + $0.11, a margin on top of the card scheme's own cost. That is interchange-plus pricing: the final number depends on your card mix, so it cannot be published as one figure and does not belong in a blended-rate comparison.
Online rates and least-cost routing on payment providers
Several providers here are online only, and where a provider publishes both, the online rate usually differs from the in-person one. The calculator splits your volume between the two, so set the split to match your business.
An Australian debit card runs on two networks: Visa or Mastercard, and the domestic eftpos network. Routing a contactless debit tap through eftpos is usually cheaper, and on a debit-heavy business the saving is real. Support is marked in the Least-cost routing row of the comparison table. It is frequently not switched on by default, so ask your provider directly rather than assume support means it is on for your account.
| Provider | Online rate |
|---|---|
| Airwallex | 1.65% + $0.30 |
| Bendigo Bank | 1.4% |
| CommBank Smart | Custom quote |
| Eway | 1.5% + 25c |
| NAB | 1.30% + $0.25 |
| PayPal | 2.9% + 30c |
| Pin Payments | 1.6% + 30c |
| Square | 2.2% |
| Stripe | 1.65% + $0.30 |
| SumUp | 2.1% |
| Tyro | Custom quote |
| Westpac | 1.25% |
| Zeller | 1.75% + 25c |
Amex, contracts and quotes from payment providers
Because Amex sits outside the surcharge ban, its rate is worth reading on its own. Some providers fold it into their standard rate, some publish a separate one, and some leave it to a separate agreement.
Read the contract terms as closely as the rate. A rate quoted with a fixed term is not comparable to one without, and a quoting provider's first number is an opening position. Turnover is your lever.
| Provider | Amex rate | Contract length |
|---|---|---|
| Adyen | 3.95% + $0.11 | Typically annual |
| Airwallex | 1.65% + $0.30 | Monthly subscription (no fixed term published) |
| ANZ (Worldline) | Custom quote | Varies |
| Bendigo Bank | 1.4% | No lock-in |
| Checkout.com | Custom quote | Typically annual |
| Clover | Custom quote | Varies |
| CommBank Smart | 0.99% | No lock-in |
| Eway | 1.5% + 25c | No lock-in |
| Fat Zebra | Custom quote | Varies |
| NAB | Set by your own Amex merchant agreement, not NAB | No lock-in (60 days notice) |
| PayPal | 2.9% + 30c | No lock-in |
| Pin Payments | 1.6% + 30c | No lock-in |
| Smartpay (Shift4) | Custom quote | No lock-in |
| Square | 1.6% | No lock-in |
| Stripe | 1.65% + 30c | No lock-in |
| SumUp | 1.4% | No lock-in |
| Till Payments (Nuvei) | Custom quote | Varies |
| Tyro | Custom quote | No lock-in |
| Westpac | Separate Amex agreement | No lock-in |
| Windcave | Custom quote | Varies |
| Zeller | 1.4% | No lock-in |
Mistakes to avoid when choosing payment providers
Comparing a blended rate with an interchange-plus quote. They are different pricing models, not different numbers. Blended is simpler and usually higher. Interchange-plus is often cheaper at scale and harder to predict.
Assuming least-cost routing is on. It saves real money on debit and is often opt-in.
Budgeting as though you can still surcharge after 1 October 2026.
Reading a free monthly fee as a cheap provider. Above the crossover turnover it is the dearer option.
Ignoring the per-transaction fee on a low average sale. On small baskets it can exceed the percentage.
Treating a quoted rate as final. Where a provider quotes, the first number is an opening position.