Card fees · Australia
Square fees in Australia
Taken from Square's own published pricing on 14 August 2026 and linked to it, so you can check every figure yourself. Then run it through the calculator to see the annual number.
Square's published Australian rates
GST treatment not stated
| Payment type | Published rate | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| In person (card present) | 1.6% | Contactless, chip and PIN or swiped on Square Terminal or Square Register. Also 1.6% on Square Reader, Square Stand, Tap to Pay on iPhone and Tap to Pay on Android for sellers who signed up on or after 30 May 2024. |
| Online | 2.2% | Square Online, Square eCommerce API, Square Payment Links, Subscription Payments and Square Gift Card purchases. |
| Manually keyed / card on file | 2.2% | Manually entered payments, and Card on File recurring payments via Square Invoices and Virtual Terminal. |
| International cards | Not separately published | No distinct international rate appears on the published pricing we checked. The calculator applies this provider's domestic rate to international volume, so the real cost could be higher. |
Square's published AU fee schedule does not state whether its core processing rates include GST. It states GST treatment only for Afterpay (6% + 30c, excluding GST). Zeller, Tyro and Stripe all explicitly state their headline rates include GST. We show Square's rates exactly as published and do not gross them up, because inventing a GST-inclusive figure would misstate a competitor's price.
Monthly and fixed costs
Square's free plan carries no monthly software fee; paid plans and add-ons are extra and are not modelled here.
Check which rate you are actually on
Sellers who signed up before 30 May 2024. Square Reader, Square Stand, Tap to Pay on iPhone and Tap to Pay on Android are 1.9% for sellers who signed up prior to 30 May 2024, versus 1.6% for those who signed up on or after that date. Square Terminal and Square Register are 1.6% for both groups.
Other published charges
| Charge | Published amount |
|---|---|
| Afterpay | 6% + 30c per transaction (excluding GST) |
| Square Gift Cards | 2.5% load fee plus standard processing fees |
Negotiating. Square states its sales team can arrange custom transaction rates for larger sellers.
Where these numbers come from
- Square Support Centre (AU): Learn about Square fees (checked 2026-08-14)
- Square AU pricing (checked 2026-08-14)
Compare it against the others
A rate on its own tells you very little. What matters is what it comes to across a year of your actual turnover, at your actual average ticket, with your actual mix of in-person and online.
- Run your numbers through the calculator - it prices every provider on this list side by side
- What it comes to in your trade - a pub, a salon and a clinic costed side by side
Once you know the number, the next question is what you do about it
BookMyVenue is booking, ordering and POS software with published pricing and zero commission on every booking. It does not replace your payment provider and it does not change your processing rate - but it does mean the software sitting on top of those payments costs a flat monthly fee instead of a slice of every sale.