Sydney Airport store refused cash and forced card surcharge. Surely this shouldn’t be allowed?
Hey everyone, I wanted to share something that honestly left a pretty bad taste in my mouth today at Sydney Domestic Airport.
I went to Yo! Sushi to grab a quick meal before boarding. When it came time to pay, I handed over cash and the owner immediately refused it, saying they only accept card payments.
What frustrated me was that sitting directly underneath the EFTPOS machine was a sign advertising a 1.42% card surcharge (pictured). I politely explained that I was trying to pay cash specifically to avoid being charged extra.
Instead of just handling it respectfully, he became visibly irritated, repeated “card only”, and started waving me along while other customers were waiting behind me. It genuinely felt like I was being treated as a nuisance for not wanting to pay an additional fee just to buy food.
Maybe I’m overreacting, but it feels incredibly unfair that businesses can now refuse legal tender entirely while also forcing customers onto payment methods that attract surcharges. At a time when so many Australians are already stretched financially, these little charges add up fast.
What worries me most is that if businesses get away with this unchecked, it’ll just become normalised. Customers lose the ability to avoid surcharges altogether, and we’re basically forced to absorb extra costs every single transaction.
I’m seriously considering lodging complaints with NSW Fair Trading, the ACCC, Sydney Airport management, and potentially reporting the surcharge arrangement itself.
If anyone here knows whether this is actually legal, or has dealt with something similar, I’d really appreciate your advice. And honestly, if you think this kind of practice is wrong too, I’d encourage you to speak up as well because this sort of thing shouldn’t quietly become the norm.