No cost EFTPOS in Australia lets businesses accept card payments without paying a single dollar in merchant fees. The terminal automatically calculates a small, compliant surcharge — typically between 1.2% and 1.6% — which displays on screen before the customer taps or inserts their card. The customer pays it. The business keeps 100% of the sale. Setup is free, rental is free, and there are no lock-in contracts.

Australian businesses collectively pay billions in merchant fees every year. A cafe processing $15,000 a month in card payments at a 1.6% fee hands $2,880 to their bank annually — for nothing in return. APS Business was built to stop that. As a specialist payment solutions provider operating across Australia, APS Business gives small and medium businesses access to zero merchant fee EFTPOS without the fine print most providers hide behind.

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) regulates how surcharging works in Australia, and the system described here operates fully within those rules. Every surcharge displayed is the actual cost of acceptance — not a markup, not a profit centre.

What Is No Cost EFTPOS and How Does It Actually Work?

No cost EFTPOS is a surcharge-based payment model where the merchant fee is passed to the customer at the time of sale, legally and transparently. The business pays nothing to process the payment.

Here is the exact process, step by step:

1. Customer presents their card — tap, insert, or swipe.
2. The terminal detects the card type — eftpos, Visa, Mastercard, or Amex each carry different acceptance costs.
3. A compliant surcharge is calculated automatically — typically 1.2%–1.6% depending on the card type, in line with RBA rules.
4. The surcharge displays clearly on screen before the customer confirms the transaction. There is no surprise at the end.
5. The customer confirms and pays — the total includes the surcharge.
6. The full sale amount lands in the merchant's account — with $0 deducted in merchant fees.

This is not a hidden fee. It is fully disclosed, fully compliant, and has been a legal practice in Australia since 2016 under RBA regulation. The transparency is built into the hardware — the customer sees the surcharge before they confirm, which is the exact requirement under Australian Consumer Law.

Think of it like the fuel levy a courier adds to their invoice, or the card fee some airlines charge at checkout. It is standard business practice, clearly disclosed, and accepted widely across Australian retail, hospitality, and services.

What Does a No Cost EFTPOS Setup Include?

A genuine no cost EFTPOS setup means $0 upfront, $0 rental, $0 setup fees, and no lock-in contracts — everything included from day one. APS Business provides all of this with no exit fees and no chargeback fees either.

Here is what businesses receive:

• $0 terminal rental — own or use the device at no ongoing cost
• $0 setup or activation fees
• No lock-in contracts — leave at any time without penalty
• No exit fees
• No chargeback fees passed to the merchant
• Accepted payment types: Visa, Mastercard, eftpos, American Express, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Afterpay / Buy Now Pay Later

The terminal is plug-and-play. Most businesses are up and running in under 10 minutes. There is no complex configuration required — the automated surcharging is pre-set and compliant out of the box.

Accepting Afterpay and other BNPL options is increasingly important as consumer payment habits shift. A 2023 Finder survey found that over 30% of Australian adults had used a BNPL service in the past 12 months. Having that capability built into the same terminal — with no extra cost — removes a genuine barrier for businesses trying to serve more customers.

How Much Does No Cost EFTPOS Save Australian Businesses?

A business processing $10,000 per month in card payments at a standard 1.6% merchant fee pays $1,920 per year in fees alone — with no cost EFTPOS, that figure drops to exactly $0.

Let that land for a moment. That is $1,920 that goes back into the business every single year, just from switching the payment model.

Here is a realistic breakdown:

The surcharge is averaged across card types for simplicity. Instead of charging 0.5% for eftpos and 1.8% for Amex separately, the terminal applies a single blended rate — typically 1.2%–1.6% — that covers the weighted cost across all cards accepted. This keeps the checkout experience clean and simple for customers.

No rental fees. No monthly account fees. No percentage taken from every transaction. APS Business passes none of those costs to the merchant.

Is No Cost EFTPOS Right for Your Business?

No cost EFTPOS suits most Australian small businesses, but it works best where customers expect and accept a small card surcharge as normal practice.

Business types where this model works particularly well:

• Hospitality venues and restaurants — surcharges are already normalised, especially on weekends and public holidays
• Retail stores — high card transaction volumes make $0 fees enormously valuable
• Health clinics and allied health — physiotherapy, chiropractic, psychology practices processing regular payments
• Hair salons and beauty businesses — consistent card transaction volumes with predictable surcharge acceptance
• Market stalls and pop-up traders — mobile terminal capability makes this practical in any outdoor setting
• Tradespeople and field service businesses — take payment on site without carrying cash or invoicing later

Minimum turnover consideration: Most no cost EFTPOS plans work best for businesses processing at least $10,000 per month in card payments. Below that threshold, a low-cost blended rate plan may actually deliver better overall value depending on average transaction size and card mix.

This is worth saying directly: not every payment model suits every business. A high-end fine dining restaurant catering to corporate clients may prefer to absorb a low merchant fee to avoid any friction at the table. A busy market stall or a tradesperson doing $800 jobs will almost always benefit more from zero fees.

The right answer depends on your customer base, your average transaction size, and how your customers feel about surcharges in your specific industry.

Surcharging, Compliance, and the Proposed RBA Changes in 2026

Australian merchants can legally surcharge customers, but only up to the actual cost of card acceptance — the RBA prohibits excessive surcharging. That rule has not changed. What is changing is coming on 1 July 2026.

The RBA has proposed banning surcharges on eftpos, Visa, and Mastercard transactions from 1 July 2026. This is a significant shift. If the ban proceeds as proposed, businesses using a pure no cost EFTPOS model — where the surcharge covers all fees — will need to transition to a different structure.

What this means practically:

• Surcharges on Amex may still be permitted, as Amex sits outside the RBA's scheme card framework
• Low-cost blended rate plans (where the merchant pays a competitive flat rate of around 1.2%) become the alternative
• Businesses are not left stranded — the transition from a surcharge model to a low-cost model is straightforward with the right provider

APS Business is actively preparing clients for this transition. Rather than waiting for the regulation to land and scrambling, APS Business will guide every client through the shift — whether that means moving to a low-cost blended rate, adjusting pricing to absorb fees, or restructuring how payments are accepted.

The key action for businesses right now: get onto a no-lock-in plan. If you are locked into a 3-year terminal contract and the surcharge ban proceeds, you have no flexibility. With APS Business, there is no lock-in — you can adapt as the regulation evolves.

Terminal Features – Battery, Connectivity, Settlement, and POS Integration

The APS Business terminal is a full-featured, portable payment device built for real Australian business conditions — not a stripped-down unit that only works on a fixed counter.

Key features at a glance:

• Battery-powered — works away from the counter, at the table, in the field, or at a market stall
• WiFi and direct connectivity — works on your venue's WiFi or via mobile data without a fixed internet connection
• NFC, chip, tap, and swipe — every card entry method covered
• Apple Pay and Google Pay — contactless mobile payments included
• Afterpay / BNPL acceptance — built in, no extra hardware
• Automated surcharging — no manual calculation, no human error, always RBA-compliant
• Refund support — refunds can be processed directly from the terminal
• Fraud protection — built-in security protocols on every transaction
• 450+ POS integrations — compatible with major systems including Square, Lightspeed, Kounta (Lightspeed Restaurant), MYOB, Xero, and many more

On settlement: funds typically settle next business day, with same-day settlement available depending on your bank and setup. Knowing when your money arrives matters — particularly for businesses with tight daily cash flow like cafes, markets, and clinics.

On refunds: when a surcharge has been applied to a transaction and the customer returns the goods or cancels the service, the surcharge portion is also refunded. The terminal handles this automatically — the merchant does not need to manually calculate what portion was surcharge and what was product cost.

450+ POS integrations is a genuine differentiator. Most small payment providers support 10–20 POS systems. The breadth here means that whether you are running a busy restaurant on Lightspeed or a health clinic on a niche booking platform, the terminal connects without custom development work.

No Cost EFTPOS vs Low Cost EFTPOS – Which One Suits You?

The choice between no cost and low cost EFTPOS comes down to one question: who absorbs the merchant fee — the customer or the business?

When no cost makes more sense:

• Your customers are used to surcharges (trades, health, services, markets)
• You want $0 out of pocket every month, no exceptions
• Your average transaction is $50 or above (surcharge is proportionally small)
• You want maximum cash flow with no fee deductions

When low cost makes more sense:

• You serve a customer base sensitive to surcharges (luxury retail, fine dining)
• You process very high volumes and want to absorb a competitive flat rate for a cleaner checkout experience
• You are planning ahead for the proposed July 2026 surcharge changes

Both models are available through APS Business. A payment specialist can assess your transaction data and recommend which one delivers better commercial outcomes for your specific business.

How to Get Started With APS Business Today

Getting started with APS Business takes less than 2 minutes and requires no commitment. Here is exactly what happens:

1. Visit [aps.business](https://aps.business) and submit a free enquiry — name, business type, and contact details.
2. A payment specialist calls you — usually within one business day — to understand your business, your card volume, and your current fees.
3. A tailored solution is recommended — no cost, low cost, or a combination — based on your actual numbers, not a generic pitch.
4. The terminal ships to you — pre-configured, ready to plug in and go.
5. You start saving from your very first transaction.

There is no obligation at the enquiry stage. No lock-in contract once you sign up. No exit fees if your business needs change. And if the RBA surcharge changes proceed in July 2026, APS Business will contact you proactively to transition your setup — you will not be left to figure it out alone.

Businesses across Australia — from busy Sydney cafes to regional market traders to Melbourne health clinics — are processing payments every day without handing a percentage of every sale to a bank. The switch is simpler than most business owners expect.

Start Accepting Payments With Zero Merchant Fees

Every month you stay on your current EFTPOS plan, you are paying fees you do not have to. A business processing $10,000 in card payments loses $1,920 a year. A business at $20,000 a month loses $4,320. Those are real figures — and they hit the same businesses that are already managing tight margins, rising costs, and increasing competition.

APS Business provides no cost EFTPOS across Australia with $0 setup, $0 rental, no lock-in contracts, and full compliance with Australian payment regulations. Whether you run a restaurant in Brisbane, a salon in Perth, a market stall in regional Victoria, or a health clinic in Sydney — there is a solution built for your business.

Visit aps.business today to enquire for free. A payment specialist will review your current setup, show you exactly what you would save, and have you processing payments at zero cost — often within 48 hours.