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Spacecamps

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Card surcharge ban calculator for caravan parks

Since 1 October 2026 you can’t add a surcharge for paying by Visa, Mastercard or eftpos. Enter your nightly rate, old surcharge and card fee to get one rate for every guest, rounded to a price you can put on the sign.

Set the new rate to keep

The rate on your website, before any surcharge.

Put 0 if you never surcharged.

90%

From your last merchant statement.

Stripe charges 30c a payment. Many bank terminals charge none.

40 sites at 55% occupancy sell about 8,000 nights a year.

Charge every guest

$46a night

Up $1 (2.2%) from $45. The exact rate is $45.61.

A 4-night stay
$184
Card fee on it
$3.43
You keep, on average
$180.91

Over a year

Card surcharges you used to collect
$4,860
What you lose if you stay at $45
−$4,770

Extra you keep at $46

$3,104

Cash guests pay $46 too, since every guest pays the same rate.

Start Free TrialWhat the ban means for your prices

How the numbers are worked out

We treat an average stay as one payment. Before the ban, a card guest left you the rate plus the surcharge, less the card fee, and a cash guest left you the rate. Weighted by your share of card payments, that is what a stay used to earn you.

The new rate earns the same after card fees with every guest paying it, rounded up to the next dollar. Choose Your full rate and it covers the whole card fee instead, so on average you keep your old rate.

The fee starts at Stripe’s standard Australian rate for domestic cards, 1.7% plus 30 cents. International cards cost more. A bank terminal often charges a percentage with no fixed amount, so set the fixed fee to $0 and put in the rate from your last merchant statement.

Next: the drip pricing law in July 2027

From 1 July 2027, a business that shows a base price has to show the compulsory charges that come with it, prominently and next to that price. A $45 site that becomes $63 a night once the cleaning fee and the second adult appear at checkout is what the law targets.

Set your new rate now and list the fees every guest pays beside it. Mark extras such as a dog or linen hire as optional.

Questions park owners ask

Can a caravan park still charge a card surcharge?
No. Since 1 October 2026, Australian businesses can’t add a surcharge for paying with a Visa, Mastercard or eftpos card, whether it’s credit, debit or prepaid. The rule sits in your merchant agreement, so a park that keeps surcharging risks losing its card facilities.
How much should I raise my rates to cover card fees?
$1 a night on a $45 site. With a 1.5% surcharge and 90% of guests paying by card at 1.7% plus 30 cents, the park keeps what it made before at $45.61 a night on a 4-night stay, which rounds up to $46.
Do cash guests have to pay the higher rate?
Yes. Every guest pays one price for the site, whatever they pay with, and nobody sees a fee for paying by card.
Can I give a discount for paying cash?
Yes. The Reserve Bank says ending surcharges isn’t meant to stop discounts for cheaper ways to pay. Advertise the rate everyone pays, and show the cash price as a discount from it.
Can I still charge a booking fee?
Yes, if every guest pays it however they settle the bill. A “processing fee” or “online convenience fee” that a guest paying cash at reception skips is a card surcharge under another name.
Does the ban cover American Express?
The Reserve Bank’s decision covers Visa, Mastercard and eftpos, and it is reviewing American Express separately. business.gov.au lists American Express among the cards you can no longer surcharge, so ask your provider before you surcharge it.

Show guests the price they pay

On a Spacecamps booking page, each fee and the GST appear line by line with the total before the guest pays, and Stripe’s card fee comes out of your payout, never the guest’s bill. Start with a 30-day free trial.

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Sources

We read these pages on 29 October 2026. This tool works out a price; it isn’t legal advice. Your bank or payment provider can confirm what your merchant agreement allows.