Merchant Card Payment Costs and Surcharging – Issues Paper –
October 2024 Appendix A: Questions for Stakeholders

1. Is there a case for lowering the level of interchange benchmarks or caps? Should the difference between the interchange fees paid by big and small businesses be limited in some way?
2. Should interchange regulation be extended to foreign card transactions in Australia?
3. Is there a case for reducing the complexity, and/or enhancing the transparency, of interchange fees? If so, how?
4. Is there a case for further transparency of scheme fees to promote efficiency and competition? If so, what additional information would be beneficial?
5. Is there a case for regulatory action to reduce the complexity or growth of scheme fees? If so, what form should this take?
6. What other regulatory action should the RBA consider to increase the competitive pressure on scheme fees?
7. How do stakeholders assess the functioning and effectiveness to date of LCR for in-person transactions? Is further regulatory intervention needed? What might that look like?
8. Is there a case for greater transparency of fees, wholesale costs and market shares for some payment services? If so, what form should this take? What benefits or drawbacks might arise from implementing any of these measures?
9. Should PSPs be required to provide individual merchants more detailed information on their regular statements (or through other channels)? How could this information be presented without creating additional complexity for merchants?
10. Should PSPs be required to publish standardised information on their pricing and services for merchants (in line with reforms introduced in the United Kingdom)?
11. What other regulatory measures should the RBA consider to improve competition between PSPs?
12. Is there a case for revising the RBA’s surcharging framework? If so, which options or combination of options would best address the current concerns around surcharging? What other options should the RBA consider?
13. What are the implications for merchant payment costs from changes to the surcharging framework? Could the RBA address these with other regulatory actions?
14. Are there any other regulatory actions that the RBA should consider taking in response to the issues raised in this paper?
15. Are there any issues in, or implications for, the broader payments ecosystem that the RBA should be aware of when designing a regulatory response to any of the issues discussed in this paper?