No. From 1 October 2026, there's no fee for paying your Amber bill by credit or debit card. Before that, card payments had a 1% transaction fee. If a bill you get in October includes a card fee, it's for a card payment you made before 1 October.
Why is there a card fee on my October bill?
A card fee isn't taken with the card payment itself. It's added to your next bill. So a fee on your October bill is for the card payment you made in September, before the fee was removed.
Here's how it worked with the old 1% fee:
- Your September bill is issued, and you pay it by card on 12 September.
- That payment picks up a 1% fee. The fee isn't charged on the day. It goes on your next bill.
- Your October bill includes the 1% fee from your September payment.
- You pay your October bill by card. No fee is added, because card fees were removed on 1 October.
Will I be charged a card fee if I pay a September bill in October?
No. If you pay on or after 1 October, no card fee is added, even though the bill was issued in September.
If your September bill already includes a card fee, you still need to pay it. That fee is for the card payment you made on your previous bill. No new fee is added when you pay in October.
When will card fees stop showing on my bills?
Your next bill may include one last card fee, for your last card payment before 1 October. After that, there won't be any more.
- If you're billed monthly, that's your October bill. Bills from November onwards won't include a card fee.
- If you're billed quarterly, it's your next quarterly bill. For some quarterly customers this bill may be issued as late as December 2026.
Can I get a refund for card fees on earlier bills?
No. Card fees on earlier bills were for payments made while the fee was in place, so those charges stay as billed. From 1 October, card payments have no fee at all.
Isn't a card fee after 1 October against the new rules?
The new rules stop businesses adding a fee to card payments made from 1 October 2026, and we stopped adding fees from that date. A fee on a bill issued after 1 October is for a card payment you made before 1 October. It's on this bill because card fees were always added to the bill after the payment, never taken with it. The Reserve Bank explains the change in its FAQs on the removal of card surcharges.
Are you replacing the card fee with a different fee?
No. We're not adding any other fee in its place. You can see every fee we charge on our fees page.
Still need help?
If you think a card fee on your bill is for a payment you made on or after 1 October, email us at info@amber.com.au and tell us the date of the payment.
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