Our regular look at what Noel Whittaker has been writing lately — and what it means for your money.
From 1 October, businesses can no longer add a surcharge when you pay by debit or credit card — Visa and Mastercard included, with American Express and Diners Club the only exceptions. In his September newsletter, Noel Whittaker asks the question most of the headlines skip: those surcharges have been costing consumers about $1.8 billion a year, so who ends up paying once they're banned?
His answer is that there's no free lunch. Either retailers absorb the cost and recover it through higher prices, or card providers claw back the perks they currently fund — think frequent flyer points, rewards programs and complimentary travel insurance. The cafe owners he's been speaking to are blunt: the cost will go into the price of your coffee and food. The surcharge line disappears from the receipt, but the money comes out of your pocket anyway, and it gives inflation another small push.
Noel also asks readers to spare a thought for small business. He reports being told that around 5,000 coffee shops and restaurants have gone broke in New South Wales in just two months, and notes that since 1 July compulsory super — now 12% of wages — must be paid with each payroll run, bringing forward a real cash-flow burden.
If you're in your 40s or 50s and watching every dollar, the practical takeaway is simple: keep an eye on prices and on your card's rewards program over the next few months, and judge the change by your total cost — not by the missing surcharge line.
"The surcharge may disappear from the receipt on 1 October, but don't imagine the cost has disappeared with it. We may simply end up paying for it somewhere else."
Read the full article: Noel News September 2026 — Noel Whittaker, Noel News, September 2026.
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