Card fees by business · Tradies
Card fees for tradies: plumbers, electricians and builders
Updated
A tradie's card payments are few and large, taken on site or against an invoice, and more often on a business credit card than a café's. The surcharge ban reaches all of them.
On the example numbers
At a 1.6% flat rate the example business pays $7,680 a year in card fees; the cheapest plan we compare, Westpac EFTPOS Now, costs $4,308. Because three in ten jobs are paid by bank transfer, covering card fees takes only 1.13% on prices: a $650 job becomes $657.36.
The example business, at three sizes
Worked figures for a two-van plumbing business taking $40,000 a month by card at a $650 average job, with 70% of sales by card. Card mix: eftpos 18%, Visa/Mastercard debit 27%, Visa/Mastercard credit 45%, Amex 8%, Overseas cards 2%. These are illustrative inputs, not an industry average; change them in the calculator to match your statement.
Fees a year for the example, by plan and monthly card takings
| Plan | $15,000 a month | $40,000 a month | $100,000 a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Westpac EFTPOS Now | $1,8011.00% | $4,3080.90% | $10,3240.86% |
| CommBank Smart Mini | $1,7820.99% | $4,7520.99% | $11,8800.99% |
| CommBank Smart terminal | $2,1361.19% | $5,1061.06% | $12,2341.02% |
| Worldline Move 5000 | $2,1361.19% | $5,1951.08% | $12,5381.04% |
| Square Reader (Free plan) | $2,8801.60% | $7,6801.60% | $19,2001.60% |
A sole trader taking $15,000 a month by card is in a dead heat between the Smart Mini and Westpac ($1,782 and $1,801 a year). With 8% Amex, which Westpac doesn't cover at its flat rate, the crossover on this mix moves out to about $16,030 a month. A bigger contractor taking $100,000 a month on cards pays $16,800 a year at Zeller's 1.4%: big enough to ask every provider for a custom rate.
Business customers can't be surcharged either
The no-surcharge rules apply to commercial and corporate cards as well as personal ones, and a business can't surcharge just because the payer is a business. (Australian Payments Network, checked )
Builders, property managers and body corporates paying on company cards get the same price as anyone else now.
Invoices you sent before 1 October
If a card payment is made on or after 1 October 2026, surcharging may no longer be available even if the invoice was issued earlier. (Reserve Bank of Australia, checked )
Most invoicing apps add a card-fee line automatically. Turn it off, and re-issue any open invoice that still shows one.
Bank transfers and discounts
The RBA doesn't currently regulate surcharges on non-card payment methods, and businesses can still offer discounts for particular payment methods. (Reserve Bank of Australia, checked )
Many tradies already ask for bank transfer on big jobs. A small discount for paying by transfer steers customers the way a card surcharge used to, without a fee at the end of the job.
Taking payment on site
SumUp Solo works without a phone and has built-in mobile data. (SumUp Solo, checked )
Phone-paired readers, such as CommBank Smart Mini, Square Reader and SumUp Air, use your phone's signal. At this business's size custom pricing is also worth asking for: the example takes $480,000 a year by card.
Zeller offers a custom rate above $250,000 a year in card payments. (Zeller pricing, checked )
Square may create a custom package above $250,000 a year. (Square pricing, checked )