Smartpay built its Australian following on a surcharge model, where the card fee is passed to the customer and the venue can pay close to nothing. That model is directly affected by the October 2026 surcharge ban, so this is the one provider where timing matters most. Here is our honest read.
Smartpay's core proposition has been simple: pass the card fee to the customer as a surcharge, and the venue's own cost of accepting cards drops close to zero. For a lot of venues that was a genuinely attractive way to take cards without eroding margin, and the hardware and service around it are solid.
The honest complication is timing. From 1 October 2026 you cannot surcharge eftpos, Mastercard or Visa, which is the mechanism the model relied on. Smartpay and venues using it will need to adapt to a world where the fee can no longer be passed on, so anyone weighing it now should be clear on what the post ban pricing looks like rather than the surcharge era pricing.
The historic appeal: pass the card fee to the customer so the venue pays close to nothing. Directly affected by the 2026 ban.
Reliable terminals and service that venues have generally rated well.
Easy to understand while surcharging was allowed, take cards at near zero venue cost.
The key thing to confirm now: what you actually pay once surcharging ends in October 2026.
Smartpay is the one provider where the surcharge ban changes the story most directly. The model that made it attractive, passing the fee to the customer, will not be allowed on the major card types from October 2026. That does not make Smartpay a bad choice, but it does mean you must look at the post ban pricing rather than the surcharge era pricing when you compare. We can help you see that clearly.
We rate suppliers independently. We do not earn a referral fee from Smartpay. Here is the balanced picture, the good and the points to weigh up.
Smartpay's pricing has centred on the surcharge model, where the venue cost approached zero because the customer paid the fee. With surcharging banned from October 2026, the figure that matters is what the venue pays directly afterwards, which is exactly what to confirm before committing.
These figures reflect the surcharge era. From 1 October 2026 surcharging on eftpos, Mastercard and Visa is banned, so the relevant number is what you pay directly afterwards. Getting you a clear post ban comparison against other providers is exactly what we do, free.
Smartpay is one option. Here is how it sits alongside the other payment providers we review, so you can weigh them side by side.
If you are on Smartpay or considering it, the October 2026 ban changes the maths. We will show you honestly what you would pay after the ban and how it compares to other providers. Free, no obligation, and we will be in touch within 48 hours.
