Fee-Free Shops

What is a fee-free shop?

When they “tap & go”, many Aussies are unwittingly overpaying for everyday purchases. Payment card surcharges are eating away at bank balances. Finder believes consumers shouldn’t be hit with a surcharge or minimum spend amount for using their credit, debit or prepaid card. Fee-Free Shop recognises shops that don't charge extra for this convenience. Search for your closest card-friendly venue here so you can "pay fair" on your next lunch break, date night or shopping trip.

How much can I save on card fees?

What you pay for a card surcharge fee depends on the retailer, the type of card you use and the amount of money you spend. While it’s usually around 0.5% of the transaction value for debit card purchases, it could be up to 3% for some credit cards.

If you bought coffee and lunch five days a week and paid a 1.5% card surcharge fee each time, it would cost you $50.62 per year. That might not seem like a lot, but that's just coffee and lunch

Show your local shop some love

If you spot a shop without fees, let us know using the form below and we'll follow-up with a sticker and update the map quicker than you can order your almond latte (double shot, no foam).

Frequently Asked Questions

• What is a surcharge fee?

  A surcharge fee is an additional charge on your purchase for using a debit/credit card to pay. Shops have to pay to process card transactions and can choose whether or not to pass the surcharge onto consumers. Fee-Free Shops recognise that minimum spend amounts are annoying, that debit/credit is convenient, and don’t pass this charge on.

• How much do surcharge fees cost?

  It varies from shop to shop based on the cards they accept and the processors they use. Retailers can only charge what it costs them to process a transaction (including terminal costs and bank fees). This varies, for a typical debit card it costs about 0.5%, for a Visa or Mastercard it can anywhere between 1% - 2% and for American Express can be between 2% - 3%. If a retailer chooses to set a flat surcharge, they can only charge at the lowest cost level of accepted payment methods, not the average. So if a merchant wants to charge a flat surcharge fee and it costs 0.5% to process a Visa Debit transaction, and 3% to process an American Express Credit Card transaction, the surcharge can be set at a maximum of 0.5% of transaction value.

• How do I nominate one of my local shops?

  Submit the form above and we'll do the rest. Once we receive the nomination, we will confirm the free-free status of the shop, add it to our interactive map and send out a sticker.

• Where can I get more information about Fee-Free Shops?

  Explore this page and all the FAQs. If you still have a question, leave a comment and we’ll do our best to answer it right away.

• What if I find a shop with a sticker that charges a fee or minimum spend?

  Despite Finder’s best efforts to keep its Fee-Free Shop map updated, there’s a chance there will be some shops displaying our sticker that apply credit card surcharge fees or a minimum spend amount. If you spot a shop which isn’t Fee-Free please email us at feefreeshops@finder.com.