CentriWebA payment gateway in Australia is the service that takes a customer’s card or bank payment online and passes it through to your bank account, and the providers compared here charge between 1.4% and 2.2% for a domestic card, plus a fixed fee with some, as at November 2026. The provider that costs least for you is the one whose fees match how you get paid: online checkout, invoices, payment links, bank debits or a card terminal on site.
The table below uses each provider’s own Australian pricing page, in Australian dollars, opened in November 2026. Fees change, so check their page for current prices before you sign up.
What a payment gateway does, in plain terms
When someone pays you online, three jobs happen. The gateway collects the card details securely, the card network (Visa, Mastercard, eftpos or American Express) approves the payment, and the money is settled to an account you can pay out to your bank.
Older set-ups split these jobs: a bank merchant facility plus a separate gateway, each with its own fees and contract. Most small businesses now use an all-in-one provider such as Stripe, Square, Zeller, Airwallex or PayPal, where one account does everything and you pay a single per-transaction fee. Your bank may still be a good option, especially if you take a high volume of card payments in person, but you will need to ask it for a quote.
Payment gateway fees in Australia compared
Standard published rates for domestic cards, as at November 2026. Check their page for current prices.
| Provider | Online or invoice card payment | In person | Monthly fee | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stripe | 1.65% + A$0.30 | 1.65% + A$0.10 with a Stripe reader | None on standard pricing | Websites, booking tools and software that build on it |
| Square | 2.2% (online store, online checkout and invoices paid online) | 1.6% | Free plan $0. Plus plans from $40 a month | Counters, appointments and on-site payments |
| Zeller | 1.7% + 25c for invoices | 1.4%, all cards including American Express | $0 terminal rental and invoicing | Businesses mainly paid on a terminal, with some invoices |
| Airwallex | 1.65% + $0.30 | Not compared here | Explore plan $0 or $29 a month, Grow $99 a month | Businesses selling or paying overseas in several currencies |
| PayPal | See PayPal’s page | See PayPal’s page | See PayPal’s page | Online sellers whose buyers prefer a wallet |
| Tyro | See Tyro’s page | See Tyro’s page | See Tyro’s page | Businesses wanting an Australian terminal provider with a bank-style account |
PayPal’s fee page refused our automated requests, and Tyro’s pricing page showed no figures we could read, so we have left their numbers out rather than guess. Stripe says its card fees include GST, and Zeller says its 1.4% in-person rate does. Check the others’ pages for whether GST is included.
The fees beyond the headline rate
The card rate is one line on the bill. These are the others that change the total:
- International cards. Stripe lists 3.5% + A$0.30 plus 2% for currency conversion. Airwallex lists 3.45% + $0.30. Zeller prices international cards separately.
- Keyed-in payments. Square charges 2.2% when you type in card details or use a card on file. Zeller’s Virtual Terminal is 1.75% + 25c and its over-the-phone rate is 1.7%.
- Bank debits. Stripe’s PayTo and BECS Direct Debit are 1% + A$0.30, capped at A$3.50, which can be far cheaper for large deposits.
- Faster payouts. Stripe’s instant payouts cost 1.5% (minimum A$0.50). Square’s Instant Transfers cost 1.95%; its standard transfers arrive as soon as the next day.
- Disputes. Stripe lists A$25.00 for each dispute received and A$25.00 to counter one, refunded if you win.
- Hardware. Zeller lists its terminals at AU$99 including GST. Stripe’s readers start at A$89 excluding GST.
- Software plans. Monthly plans for extra features, such as Square Plus or Airwallex Grow, are worth paying for only if you use what they add.
A worked example with your own numbers
Say you take $10,000 a month online as 50 invoice payments of $200, all on Australian cards. At the listed rates:
- Stripe: 1.65% of $10,000 is $165, plus 50 × A$0.30 = $15. Total about $180.
- Airwallex: the same structure, about $180.
- Zeller invoices: $170 plus 50 × 25c = $12.50. Total about $182.50.
- Square online: 2.2% of $10,000 = $220.
Now change one thing. If those same customers paid five $2,000 deposits by bank debit through Stripe instead, each would hit the A$3.50 cap, so $17.50 in total. The way you ask to be paid often saves more than switching provider.
Run the sum with last quarter’s real takings, split into online, invoice, in person and overseas. That figure, plus any monthly plan and hardware spread over three years, is the number to compare.
How to choose a payment gateway
- Start with your software. Your website platform, booking system, quoting tool or accounting software may support only some providers. That often decides it.
- Match the fee to your main payment type. Terminal-heavy businesses look at in-person rates. Invoice-heavy businesses look at invoice and bank debit rates.
- Check payout timing. Two days versus next day matters if cash is tight.
- Test the customer side. Pay a small invoice from your own phone on each shortlisted provider and count the taps.
- Keep it to one or two. Every extra provider is another set of payouts to reconcile.
Two other changes to plan for. The ACCC says that from 1 October 2026, businesses can no longer add a surcharge for payments made using Visa, Mastercard, American Express and eftpos cards; our guide to credit card surcharge rules covers what the RBA and ACCC say. And if you are weighing the two most common online options, see Stripe vs PayPal.
Who maintains the payment gateway once it is live
Fees are easy to compare. Upkeep is the part owners forget to ask about, and it falls into three kinds of set-up:
- Payment links and hosted invoices. The customer pays on the provider’s own page. Nothing on your website needs updating, and the provider looks after the checkout. This is the lowest-maintenance option and suits most service businesses.
- A plugin on your website. Shops and booking sites often use a plugin to show a checkout on the site itself. Someone needs to keep the plugin and the website updated, and test a payment after each change, or a quiet failure can cost a week of orders.
- A custom connection. When payments trigger other steps, such as confirming a booking or updating a job, the connection uses the provider’s API. It is flexible, but it needs a person who knows how it was built.
Whichever you choose, keep a short note of where every payment link lives: your website, invoice templates, quote templates, email signatures and saved text messages. Changing provider means updating every one of them.
Where each provider is strong
- Stripe: supported by many website and business software, publishes its full Australian price list, and offers capped bank debits for big payments.
- Square: a free point-of-sale app, card readers and online tools that work together with little setup.
- Zeller: one in-person rate for every card type, no terminal rental, and free invoicing.
- Airwallex: card acceptance plus multi-currency accounts, useful when you sell to or buy from overseas.
- PayPal: a wallet many buyers already use, with Pay in 4 for Australian shoppers.
- Tyro and the banks: terminal-led set-ups, with pricing on their own pages or quoted on request.
When a payment system set up for you makes more sense
A gateway on its own just collects money. The time savings come from what happens next: a paid invoice marking the job paid in your CRM, a receipt going out, a reminder stopping, and the payout matching itself in your accounts. Our guide to getting paid faster covers the habits behind that.
Our payments work sets up the gateway and connects it to your website, CRM and accounting, then looks after it. It does not suit everyone. If you take a few payments a month, if you like setting tools up yourself, or if your invoicing software’s own payment button already covers you, a standard account is enough.