Weekly News Roundup: Sep 28 - Oct 4, 2026

This is a backfill for 28 September to 4 October 2026, published on 12 October 2026. It records changes that took effect during that week. Check current terms before you act on any card offer.

Card surcharge rules changed on 1 October

The Reserve Bank of Australia says its ban on card networks' no-surcharge rules ended on 1 October 2026. Eftpos, Mastercard and Visa then introduced rules that generally stop merchants adding a separate card payment surcharge. American Express also stopped permitting surcharges. Other charges, such as a genuine booking fee or a weekend surcharge, are separate. A merchant may still offer a discount for another payment method.

For a points collector, this changes the cost comparison at checkout. I would still compare the total price and check whether the transaction earns points. The RBA says card issuers decide their own rewards and fees; its change does not set a card's earn rate.

CommBank Awards closed; Yello points began

CommBank says its Awards program closed on 29 September 2026. Eligible members' unredeemed Awards points convert to CommBank Yello points one for one, with the new program starting 1 October. That is a points-count conversion, not a claim that each point has the same redemption value. CommBank says redemption rates vary by reward.

Yello eligibility has conditions, including an eligible transaction account and at least five eligible transactions. Members who do not qualify for Yello can ask CommBank to convert their unredeemed Awards points to cash by 31 December 2026. I would check my eligibility and redemption options before treating a converted balance as equivalent value.

NAB started new Velocity auto-redemption offers

NAB's dated offer terms say its Velocity auto-redemption offers on NAB Rewards cards commenced 1 October 2026 and run until withdrawn. The published conversion is 3 NAB Rewards Points to 1 Velocity Point. These are separate currencies: a 90,000 Velocity Point headline on the NAB Rewards Travel Card with Velocity represents 270,000 NAB Rewards bonus points, split between a spend condition and keeping the card for over 12 months.

For that offer, NAB specifies 50,000 Velocity Points after at least $5,000 of everyday purchases in the first 90 days, plus 40,000 Velocity Points for keeping the card for more than 12 months. The offer is for approved new online cardholders who provide a Velocity member number, subject to NAB's terms. I would assess the first and second year separately and check the live offer before applying.