1 OCTOBER 2026 FEE AND PAYMENT CHANGES
From 1 October 2026, American Express surcharges are removed at checkout, so no payment method carries a surcharge. The booking fee for tickets priced $150 and above moves from $1.50 + 2% to $1.00 + 2.5% per ticket, with all other tiers unchanged. The fee retained when a ticket is refunded becomes 1.5% of the ticket value for Visa and Mastercard and 2.5% for American Express, with a $1.50 minimum per refund, capped at the booking fee originally charged.
From 1 October 2026 we're making three changes to how fees and card payments work on Sticky Tickets, and updating our terms to match.
1. Card surcharges are being removed
Buyers who pay by American Express currently pay a 1.75% surcharge at checkout. From 1 October no surcharge will be applied to any payment method.
Nothing changes for you. Your ticket prices, your booking fees and your settlement are unaffected, and buyers paying by American Express will simply pay less than they do today.
2. The booking fee for tickets priced $150 and above is changing
|
Ticket price |
Booking & Payment Fee now |
From 1 October 2026 |
|
$150 and above |
$1.50 + 2% per ticket |
$1.00 + 2.5% per ticket |
All other price tiers are unchanged.
Examples:
|
Ticket price |
Now |
From 1 October |
|
$150 |
$4.50 |
$4.75 |
|
$300 |
$7.50 |
$8.50 |
|
$500 |
$11.50 |
$13.50 |
You can continue to absorb the fee or pass it to buyers, as you do today. If you absorb it and sell tickets in this tier, your net per ticket will change — you may want to review your pricing before 1 October.
3. The fee retained on a refund is changing
When a ticket is refunded, Sticky Tickets retains part of the booking fee, because our card processing costs on the original sale are not returned to us. That retained amount is currently 1.5% of the ticket value.
From 1 October 2026:
|
Payment method used for the original payment |
Amount retained on refund |
|
Visa or Mastercard |
1.5% of the ticket value refunded, or $1.50, whichever is greater |
|
American Express |
2.5% of the ticket value refunded, or $1.50, whichever is greater |
Examples:
|
Ticket value refunded |
Visa or Mastercard |
American Express |
|
$20 |
$1.50 |
$1.50 |
|
$50 |
$1.50 |
$1.50 |
|
$100 |
$1.50 |
$2.50 |
|
$500 |
$7.50 |
$12.50 |
All amounts include GST.
The amount retained is never more than the booking fee originally charged. On most tickets that means part of the booking fee is returned to the buyer. On tickets under $10 the booking fee is $1.00, which is less than the $1.50 minimum, so the whole booking fee is retained and no part of it is returned.
Why the rates differ. The amount retained reflects payment processing costs that are not returned to us when a transaction is reversed. Those costs are not the same for every payment method, so the amount retained is not the same either.
Why the minimum applies. A fixed fee is charged on every refund regardless of its size. On small refunds a percentage alone doesn't cover it, so a $1.50 minimum applies.
Refunding several tickets at once. The minimum applies to each refund you process. If you're refunding more than one ticket from the same order, processing them together rather than one at a time means the minimum is applied once instead of several times.
You can choose to cover this fee. When approving a refund request or cancelling an event, you have the option to cover the retained amount yourself and issue the buyer a full refund. This is unchanged.
4. Our terms are being updated
The Ticket Seller's Agreement, Terms of Sale and Refund Policy are being updated to reflect the changes above. Current versions are always available in the footer of our website.
What you may need to do
- If your own event refund policy or terms quote the fee we retain, update the wording before 1 October 2026.
- If you sell tickets priced $150 and above and absorb the booking fee, review your pricing.
- If you refer buyers to Sticky Tickets' terms rather than quoting figures, no change is needed.
Questions? Contact us at support@stickytickets.com.au or 02 8766 0660.