Card payment transaction surcharge
A surcharge will be added to the total amount payable when you make a payment with a Visa, MasterCard and American Express branded card that is accepted by TMR.
The accepted cards and applicable rates of surcharge are:
- 0.58% for Visa and MasterCard branded cards (either a credit or debit card)
- 1.40% for American Express branded cards. Please note American Express is not available if you are:
- setting up or changing a direct debit arrangement to renew your vehicle registration or
- paying in person at a TMR Customer Service Centre, Australia Post or other Queensland Government Agency Program (QGAP) office, magistrates court office or police station.
The table below provides examples of what the surcharge rates would be for different payment amounts.
| Example payment amount |
Visa/MasterCard surcharge @ 0.58% |
American Express surcharge @ 1.40% |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| $300 | $1.74 | $4.20 | |
| $400 | $2.32 | $5.60 | |
| $500 | $2.90 | $7.00 | |
| $600 | $3.48 | $8.40 | |
| $700 | $4.06 | $9.80 | |
| $800 | $4.64 | $11.20 | |
| $900 | $5.22 | $12.60 | |
| $1000 | $5.80 | $14.00 |
If you want to pay with a cheque or savings account, you can use BPAY to avoid paying the card surcharge. Card payments are not available to use through BPAY. BPAY is available for selected transactions only.
Additional information
Is the surcharge included in the transaction amount or as an additional amount?
The surcharge is applied on top of your transaction amount when you make a payment.
Why is the surcharge being implemented?
The department is charged fees by financial institutions when customers pay using a Visa, MasterCard or American Express branded card, regardless of whether you select the Debit (savings or cheque) or Credit (credit) options on the eftpos device.
What Transport and Main Roads products incur the surcharge?
The surcharge applies to all products paid using a Visa, MasterCard or American Express branded card. Some of these include driver licences, registration, practical driving tests, vehicle inspections and fines.
How can I avoid paying the surcharge?
There are other ways to pay for your transactions such as paying by cash, eftpos only card, cheque, money order and BPAY (for selected transactions only). The surcharge applies to all products paid using our online services and is unavoidable online.
Will I be charged a fee if I pay over the counter by eftpos (savings and cheque account) or BasicsCard?
No, if you pay with an eftpos only card or BasicsCard (with no Visa or MasterCard branding), you will not incur a surcharge. The surcharge only applies to payments made using a Visa, MasterCard or American Express branded card.
Will the amount increase, if so how much?
The surcharge may increase in line with costs incurred by the department by financial institutions associated with card transactions.
Why do I have to pay when other government departments don’t charge?
Other state government jurisdictions do pass on these fees.
The department incurs a cost by financial institutions any time a Visa, MasterCard or American Express branded card is used to pay for our products and services. The decision to pass on the cost to customers using these cards, through a surcharge, was made in line with current government priorities, aiming to reduce costs to the government.
What is the department going to do with money collected?
The money collected is used to offset the fees charged by financial institutions.
- Last updated 21 December 2022