What is a merchant facility?

A merchant facility is the Australian name for a merchant account: an account with an acquirer (the bank or payment company that processes card sales for a business) that lets you accept Visa, Mastercard, eftpos and other cards, in store, online or over the phone, and deposits the money to your business bank account. You take payments through a terminal, a payment gateway (the software that sends online payments to the account) or both.

Where the account sits matters. On an Australian merchant account, a card from an Australian bank is a domestic sale. On that same account, a card from a U.S. bank is a foreign card with higher fees, whatever currency you charge in.

	Merchant account through START	Bank merchant facility	Payment app account
Pricing	Quoted for your business	Usually a single rate or an unblended plan	One published flat rate for most cards
U.S. customers	Add a U.S. account in USD so U.S. cards are domestic	U.S. cards are foreign cards	U.S. cards are foreign cards, often at a higher published rate
High-risk businesses	Placed with an acquirer that accepts what you sell	Decided by each bank's risk policy	Many business types on restricted lists
When you're reviewed	Before your first payment	Before your first payment	Quick sign-up, often reviewed after you start taking payments

Credit card processing in Australia, for three kinds of business

Australian businesses selling to Australian customers
Australian businesses with customers in the U.S.
Businesses selling in both markets

We work with businesses across Australia, from Sydney and Melbourne to Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide. Every application is reviewed on what you sell and how you sell it. Tell us about your business and we'll tell you which setup fits.

Australia only, U.S. only, or both: which setup do you need?

Start with where your customers' cards come from. A card issued by an Australian bank is domestic on an Australian merchant account. A card issued by a U.S. bank is domestic on a U.S. account. When the two don't match, the sale is a foreign-card sale with extra fees, even if you charge in the customer's currency.

Australia only

Most of your customers pay with Australian cards. One Australian merchant account through our Australian acquiring partner, in AUD, paid into your Australian bank account.

U.S. only

You sell mainly to U.S. or international customers in U.S. dollars. One U.S. merchant account, paid out in USD.

Both

A real share of your sales in both markets. Two merchant accounts: an Australian account in AUD and a U.S. account in USD, set up and managed together by START.

	Australia only	U.S. only	Both
Merchant accounts	One, in Australia	One, in the U.S.	Two, one in each market
Currency	AUD	USD	AUD on the Australian account, USD on the U.S. account
Cards from the other market	Foreign-card fees on U.S. cards	Cross-border fees on Australian cards	Each market's customers pay through its own account, so most cards stay domestic
Best when	Few U.S. customers	Few Australian customers	Both markets are a real share of sales

Why two accounts and not one that takes both currencies? Charging a U.S. customer in U.S. dollars on an Australian account doesn't make the sale domestic. The card still comes from a U.S. bank. How foreign-card fees work, and when two accounts pay off →

Before you apply

How to get a merchant facility in Australia

Most applications ask for the same short list, and an underwriter (the person at the acquirer who approves accounts) checks what you sell, how you deliver it and how much you process. Decide on Australia, the U.S. or both first. "Both" means two accounts, and each one is approved separately.

→Business: your ABN, plus your ACN if you're a company.
→Owners and banking: photo ID for each owner or director, and an Australian business bank account for AUD deposits.
→Selling online: a live website with prices, your ABN and contact details, and refund, delivery and privacy policies.

Full guide: how to get a merchant facility in Australia

Merchant fees in Australia from October 2026

From 1 October 2026, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) sets lower caps on interchange, the part of each card fee paid to the bank that issued the card. Whether your bill falls depends on your plan. Unblended plans (also called interchange-plus pricing: the card costs passed through at cost, plus a fixed margin) pass the cuts on automatically. A single rate only drops if your provider lowers it.

→New caps from 1 October 2026: 0.3% on consumer credit cards, and 8 cents or 0.16% on debit and prepaid. A 1.0% cap on cards issued overseas follows on 1 April 2027.
→Plan type matters: RBA data (March 2026) shows small businesses pay 1.4% on average on a single rate and 0.9% on an unblended plan. Only 19% of small businesses are on unblended plans.

Full guide: merchant fees in Australia

The October 2026 changes

The card surcharge ban

From 1 October 2026, you can't add a surcharge when a customer pays by eftpos, Mastercard or Visa, on debit, prepaid or credit cards. American Express and UnionPay bring in the same rule that day, and PayPal on 5 October. The rules come from the card networks, and the networks and payment providers enforce them, not the ACCC. You can still raise prices, as long as you don't mislead customers about why. You can also offer a discount for another way to pay, as long as the price you display is the full price.

→Switch it off: disable surcharging on terminals and at checkout, and remove surcharge notices from signage, menus, websites and apps.
→Don't rename it: the ACCC says a business that relabels a card surcharge as another fee "may be engaging in misleading conduct". Weekend and public-holiday surcharges in hospitality aren't affected.

Full guide: Australia's card surcharge ban

eftpos and least-cost routing: many Australian debit cards carry two networks, eftpos and Visa or Mastercard. Least-cost routing sends each debit payment through whichever network costs you less. The RBA expects providers to offer it for in-person payments but doesn't require it, and it's reviewing online routing in 2026. Ask your provider whether it's switched on for your in-person and online sales.

Selling beyond Australia

International card payments: one account or two?

A card sale is international when the card was issued in a different country from your merchant account, whatever currency you charge in. The RBA says merchant fees on foreign Visa and Mastercard credit cards have run 2.6% to 2.75% for Australian businesses. If a real share of your sales comes from the U.S., a second account in the U.S. turns most of those sales into domestic ones.

→From 1 April 2027: a 1.0% cap on interchange for cards issued overseas. Network fees and currency conversion margins still apply.
→Both markets: an Australian account in AUD and a U.S. account in USD, set up and managed together by START.

Full guide: international card payments for Australian businesses

Australian business, U.S. customers

A card from an American bank is a foreign card on an Australian merchant account, even if you charge in U.S. dollars. It costs more and is declined more often. You have three options, and the right one depends on how much you sell to U.S. customers.

→Keep one Australian account: the simplest setup, but U.S. cards stay foreign cards.
→Use a U.S. merchant account in USD: U.S. cards become domestic sales. What you need depends on how your business is set up, so tell us yours.
→Run both: Australian customers pay through the AUD account and U.S. customers through the USD account.

Full guide: taking payments from U.S. customers

High-risk businesses in Australia

High-risk merchant accounts in Australia

Payment apps and many bank facilities turn businesses away because of what they sell or how they sell it. START places high-risk Australian merchants on an Australian account in AUD or a U.S. account in USD, depending on what you sell, where your customers are and the currency you charge in. High-risk accounts usually cost more, and many carry a rolling reserve (a share of sales held back for a set time).

→The acquirer approves you, not the gateway. Many "high-risk payment gateway" offers are really an overseas merchant account bundled with a gateway.
→Some limits no account can change: Australian law bars online wagering providers from accepting credit cards (since June 2024) and limits vape sales to pharmacies (since July 2024).

Full guide: high-risk merchant accounts in Australia

Taking card payments

Payment gateways: a gateway sends online and typed-in card payments to your merchant account. A U.S. account works with the Authorize.Net payment gateway, our specialty. For an Australian account, tell us your website platform or shopping cart and we'll tell you which gateway options work with it.

Online, over the phone and in person: take cards through your website's checkout, or over the phone with a virtual terminal on the U.S. account. Selling in person too? Tell us how you take payments at the counter and we'll tell you what fits your setup.

Security and privacy: PCI DSS, the card industry's data security standard, applies in both countries. In Australia, the Privacy Act 1988 may also set rules for how you handle customers' personal information, depending on your business.

Chargebacks (a customer's bank reversing a sale): Visa and Mastercard dispute rules and chargeback limits apply to Australian merchants too. See how to prevent chargebacks and chargeback ratio limits.

Switching providers in Australia

Comparing providers gets easier from late 2026. Card networks and acquirers publish their fees every quarter, with the first figures due by 30 October 2026, and merchant statements must show more detail from 1 April 2027. With card surcharges banned from 1 October 2026, every dollar of card fees comes out of your margin, so check your plan now.

→Work out your effective rate: total fees divided by total card sales.
→Check your agreement's term, terminal rental and early termination fees.
→Keep the old account open until the new one is taking payments, so you never go a day without taking cards.
→Plan how saved cards and recurring customers will move well before your switch date.

Closed by a payment app? Read what to do after a payment app shuts you down.

Why businesses choose START for Australian merchant services

Australia, the U.S. or both: An Australian account through our Australian acquiring partner, a U.S. account, or both, depending on where your customers are.
Two accounts, one team: An Australian account in AUD and a U.S. account in USD, set up and managed together by START.
High-risk businesses placed: We place high-risk Australian businesses with an acquirer that fits what they sell.
Authorize.Net specialists: More than 20 years working with Authorize.Net and over 60,000 Authorize.Net accounts set up. For U.S. accounts, we're a registered MSP/ISO of Elavon.
Real people: A team in Salt Lake City, Utah, Monday to Friday, 9 to 5 U.S. Mountain Time. Call 888-573-7587 or email [email protected].
Plain answers: Dated, sourced guides on the surcharge ban, the new fee caps and foreign-card costs.

Australian merchant account FAQ

What is a merchant facility?

It's the Australian term for a merchant account: the account with an acquirer that lets your business accept card payments and pays the money into your business bank account. You take payments through a terminal, a payment gateway or both. How to get a merchant facility →

Can an Australian business get a U.S. merchant account?

Yes. We set up U.S. merchant accounts in USD for Australian businesses selling to U.S. or international customers. What you need depends on how your business is set up, and U.S. acquirers may ask about a U.S. company or a U.S. bank account. Tell us your structure and we'll tell you what applies. Selling to U.S. customers →

Can a U.S. business get an Australian merchant account?

Australian acquirers typically want an Australian business presence, such as an ABN, and an Australian bank account for AUD deposits. Requirements depend on the acquirer and your structure, so tell us about your Australian operations and we'll tell you what applies.

Can I still add a card surcharge in Australia?

Not on eftpos, Mastercard, Visa, American Express or UnionPay payments from 1 October 2026, or on PayPal from 5 October. You can build the cost into your prices or offer a discount for another payment method, as long as the displayed price is the full price. The card surcharge ban →

Do you work with high-risk businesses in Australia?

Yes. We place high-risk Australian merchants on an Australian or a U.S. account depending on what you sell and where your customers are. Tell us about your business and we'll tell you which account fits. High-risk merchant accounts in Australia →

Can one account handle Australian and U.S. customers?

One account can accept cards from both, but cards from the other market are foreign-card sales with higher fees, whatever currency you charge in. If both markets matter, we set up two merchant accounts, an Australian account in AUD and a U.S. account in USD, and manage them together. One account or two →

This page is general payments guidance, not legal or tax advice. Rates and rules are as of September 28, 2026 and change often.

Australian Merchant Accounts and Merchant Facilities

What is a merchant facility?

Credit card processing in Australia, for three kinds of business

Australia only, U.S. only, or both: which setup do you need?

Before you apply

How to get a merchant facility in Australia

Merchant fees in Australia from October 2026

The October 2026 changes

The card surcharge ban

Selling beyond Australia

International card payments: one account or two?

Australian business, U.S. customers

High-risk businesses in Australia

High-risk merchant accounts in Australia

Taking card payments

Switching providers in Australia

Why businesses choose START for Australian merchant services

Australian merchant account FAQ

Go deeper on any topic

Getting Approved

Merchant Fees

Surcharge Ban

High-Risk in Australia

Selling to U.S. Customers

International Payments

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