It’s the sneaky charge taking money from your pocket almost every day in a practice that adds up to billions of dollars across the country, but it could soon be a thing of the past, with the federal government promising a crackdown on card surcharges.

It’s estimated that Aussies have paid up to $4 billion in card surcharges over the last year alone.

Now, the government wants to overhaul the payment system, threatening to ban all debit card surcharges from the start of 2026, subject to review by the RBA.

They’ve also committed to a more than $2 million boost for the consumer watchdog to crack down on businesses charging excessive card fees.

Debit card surcharges, used most commonly by hospitality, generally range between 0.2 and 1 per cent.

The fees cover payment processing costs from the bank and network providers - which businesses are legally allowed to pass on to customers.

Small businesses are concerned that banning surcharges could prove devastating, with some calling for the government to target the banks and card providers instead.

So now that we live in a world where cards are the new cash, should surcharges be a thing of the past?