Save on contactless debit card transaction costs.
Running a business? Ringing up lots of payments? Least Cost Routing (LCR) could lower the cost of accepting debit cards, helping your business save money.

Lower cost of acceptance adds up to business savings

Transaction security isn’t compromised

Tried and tested with over 90,000 Aussie merchants
What is Least Cost Routing?
Even if transaction costs are small, they can really add up. We don’t want you to pay more than you have to, which is why we offer Least Cost Routing (LCR). This directs all your contactless debit card payments to the most cost effective channel - and it means you could reduce your contactless debit transaction costs.
How it works
Around 70% of Australian transactions are made with debit cards1 - and more than 35 million of these debit cards are contactless-enabled ‘dual network’ cards2. Dual network means they can be used to make transactions through eftpos, or an international payment scheme. When your business is LCR-enabled and a customer taps a dual network card, the transaction will automatically be routed through the most cost-effective network.
How do I get started?
Chat to your bank or whoever’s providing your current card payment capability. Once you know the details of your current fee structure and whether LCR is right for your business, you’ll be able to find out what you could save.
Wondering what you could save?
Here’s what it looks like for a few businesses already routing.

A local supermarket
Average basket size = $44
Savings = $26,568 p.a.†

A petrol station
Average sale = $44
Savings = $13,284 p.a.†

A newsagency
Average sale = $36
Savings = $3,188 p.a.†
Success stories worth sharing
FAQ
Least Cost Routing (LCR), also known as Merchant Choice Routing, allows retailers and merchants to channel contactless transactions from dual network debit cards via the lowest cost payment network (in most cases eftpos). You can find more info here.
Potential savings will vary depending on your situation, and the terms you’ve agreed on with your acquirer (the bank or provider that enables your card payments).
Yes. For eftpos transactions, chargeback rights cover the full range of losses required by the ePayments Code.
Thousands of merchants across Australia already have Least Cost Routing successfully up and running, with no discernible difference in how things operate for merchants or customers (apart from the benefits).
The Reserve Bank of Australia has been pushing for Least Cost Routing to be rolled out for a number of years. This is mainly because it supports Australian businesses by boosting competition in the payments space, helping to drive down costs. You can learn more about this here.
1 Kateryna Occhiutto, ‘The Cost of Card Payments for Merchants’ (Bulletin ISSN 1837–7211 (Online), Reserve Bank of Australia, March 2020) [20].
2 Source: eftpos statistics correct as at December 2020.
†Source: Based on RBA Payment Statistics provided in the RBA Bulletin, June 2021 and eftpos analysis.