The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) is pushing ahead with reforms to card payments, proposing to ban surcharges on debit and credit card transactions while also reducing interchange fees charged by banks. On the surface, this is being promoted as a win for consumers, but what does it mean for independent petrol station owners? How It Impacts You Most service stations don’t apply card surcharges, so in practice, this change won’t affect the way you currently handle payments. You’ll continue to factor merchant service fees into your overall pricing strategy, ensuring your margins are protected. The real impact is on ...

A dispute between a small family-owned fuel stop in north-west Tasmania and national supplier United Petroleum has highlighted the challenges that independent operators can face when dealing with large fuel companies. The Background Wayne and Kay Pratt, who own the local service station, general store, and post office in Nunamara (a small town near Launceston), are defending themselves against a $150,000 claim brought by United Petroleum. The company alleges the couple failed to meet minimum monthly fuel purchase requirements under a supply agreement. The Pratts say they entered into the agreement during the rebuild of their site, which had been ...