When an Australian customer taps or inserts a card, that payment travels over a card scheme, the network that connects the customer’s bank to yours and sets the rules. Australia has three main schemes: the domestic eftpos network, and the international Visa and Mastercard networks. Many Australian cards actually carry two schemes at once, which affects how much each payment costs you. This page explains the schemes and why the routing choice matters.
For the general steps every card payment goes through (authorization, capture, and settlement), see how card payments work. This page focuses on the schemes specific to Australia.

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The three main schemes

eftpos

Australia’s own domestic debit network. It handles debit payments directly between Australian banks and is typically the lowest-cost option for merchants.

Visa

A global scheme carried on both debit and credit cards, widely accepted in Australia and overseas.

Mastercard

A second global scheme, also on debit and credit cards, with similarly broad acceptance.

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Dual-network debit cards

Most Australian debit cards are dual-network cards: a single card carries both the eftpos network and one of the international networks (Visa or Mastercard). When a customer pays, the payment can be routed over either network, and each network can charge the merchant a different fee.
Whether a card runs over eftpos or the international network can change the cost of the same payment. This is why routing matters, and why Australia has rules encouraging merchants to be able to choose.

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Least-cost routing

Least-cost routing (sometimes called merchant-choice routing) is the ability for a merchant to send a dual-network debit payment over whichever network costs less, usually eftpos for domestic debit. For businesses that process a lot of debit payments, routing them over the cheaper network can add up to meaningful savings.

Why it helps merchants

Sending eligible debit payments over the lower-cost network reduces your average cost per payment without changing the customer’s experience.

What the customer sees

Nothing changes for the customer; they tap or insert the same card. The routing choice happens behind the scenes.

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Credit vs. debit

A debit card spends money the customer already has in their account. In Australia these are usually dual-network (eftpos plus Visa or Mastercard), which is where least-cost routing applies.
A credit card spends money the customer borrows from their bank, to repay later. Credit payments run over the international schemes (Visa or Mastercard) and generally cost the merchant more than debit.

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How cards fit alongside real-time payments

Cards give your customers a familiar, widely expected way to pay, and support features like authorize-now-capture-later. But card payments cost more and settle more slowly than a real-time bank payment such as PayID.
A common approach for Australian merchants is to offer both: PayID for customers who want an instant, low-cost bank payment, and cards for customers who prefer them. See real-time payments vs. card payments to weigh the trade-offs.
Hello Clever’s card processing supports Visa and Mastercard, along with wallet options like Apple Pay and Google Pay. For the technical detail, see the Card API overview and card payment security.