How the card surcharge ban could change our relationship with cash

Key points

• Now that the Reserve Bank of Australia has banned card surcharges, some businesses may offer discounts to customers who pay in cash.
• Cash use has fallen sharply since 2007, when 97 per cent of Australians used it weekly, but the RBA's 2025 survey recorded 50 per cent, slightly up from 47 per cent in 2022.
• University of Canberra economist John Hawkins expects only a modest rise, while RMIT professor Angel Zhong anticipates small increases at cafés and trades businesses rather than a broad return to cash.