When a customer makes a payment by card (debit or credit), Council incurs a charge by the bank for processing this card payment known as a merchant fee. 

Until now, Council has absorbed the bank surcharges incurred when our customers pay by credit card. The cost to Council has grown significantly and these funds could be better spent on facilities and services for our community. 

We’re starting to pass on the bank fees to customers who pay by credit card. As a result, we expect to have an extra $200,000 to spend on facilities and services this financial year. 

Payments made by customers who choose to pay by credit card will incur a surcharge of 0.60%, this fee helps Council to recover the cost of merchant fees charged by the bank. Payments made using debit cards or EFTPOS cards will be free of charge providing customers an alternate payment options by card. 

The credit card fee amount will be subject to annual review and is determined by the bank cost of acceptance calculation, this rate will be reviewed annually.

• BPAY (even if you do use a credit card)
• Paying by debit cards (online, in person, direct debit, over the phone)
• Cheque, cash or money order
• Australia Post in Person (for rates payments, animal registrations & sundry debtor invoices)

If your payment amount is $384 your calculation would be: (384 x 0.6) div 100 = $2.30

When you make a payment using your credit card, the system will calculate this fee for you and you can accept to proceed with making a payment or choose to exit without making a payment.

The surcharge will be progressively applied to a range of payments across Council services over the coming months. Some services will remain exempt from this fee including Whitehorse Home and Community Care Services and Children’s Services Centres.

Where a fee includes GST the credit card fee will be calculated on this component and where a fee doesn’t include GST it will not.

As a result, we expect to have an extra $200,000 to spend on facilities and services this financial year.