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Page title: Drip pricing and section 48A transaction charges | Unfair Trading Australia

Recorded content version: 2026-09-14

Australian implementation guide

# Drip pricing and section 48A transaction charges

Section 48A creates a specific disclosure rule when an offer displays a base price and a transaction-based charge is or may be payable. It requires the charge amount or calculation method, whether and how it applies, and whether the base price includes it, presented legibly and prominently with the base price. Prescribed exclusions remain possible.

Commences 1 July 202714 September 2026

**Trigger**

Base price displayed with a transaction-based charge payable or potentially payable

**Presentation**

Legible, prominent, unambiguous and proximate

**Open detail**

Regulations may prescribe exclusions or circumstances

## Statements and evidence

Source comparisons and retained baselines are identified separately; no personal legal review is implied. [Data coverage and date meanings](https://unfairtrading.com/data/).

**Drip pricing and section 48A transaction charges: Legal fact**

Section 48A creates a specific disclosure rule when an offer displays a base price and a transaction-based charge is or may be payable. It requires the charge amount or calculation method, whether and how it applies, and whether the base price includes it, presented legibly and prominently with the base price. Prescribed exclusions remain possible.

Status: Commences 1 July 2027

Earlier source baseline: 2026-08-09. Source comparison: 2026-09-14. Automated source-content comparison. This source comparison checked the amending Act, register records, Treasury and ACCC material, and the research basis of the learning library. The latest ACL compilation was identified, but its full consumer-law volume could not be retrieved. Negative search results do not establish that no later instrument exists. Illustrative practice labels remain editorial analysis.

Revision: au-pricing-test@fdbab7c67a4d0dc4d628138b896f89ce90a291a4cfe35b98e89d7f981f995ecc

- [Competition and Consumer Amendment (Unfair Trading Practices) Act 2026](https://www.legislation.gov.au/C2026A00064/asmade): supports. Schedule 1, inserted ACL section 48A

- [Competition and Consumer Act 2010, including Schedule 2: Australian Consumer Law](https://www.legislation.gov.au/C2004A00109/latest): qualifies. Context and qualifications in the linked source; see the article source list.

[Cite or inspect this claim](https://unfairtrading.com/data/#au-pricing-test)

**ACL section 48A: Legal fact**

Base-price and transaction-charge disclosure content and presentation.

Status: Commences 1 July 2027

Earlier source baseline: 2026-08-09. Source comparison: 2026-09-14. Automated source-content comparison. This source comparison checked the amending Act, register records, Treasury and ACCC material, and the research basis of the learning library. The latest ACL compilation was identified, but its full consumer-law volume could not be retrieved. Negative search results do not establish that no later instrument exists. Illustrative practice labels remain editorial analysis.

Revision: au-s48a@1d1817adc305be85f8ab54874f4ca3e0ef32a9463395b44853f11ad4650f3140

- [Competition and Consumer Amendment (Unfair Trading Practices) Act 2026](https://www.legislation.gov.au/C2026A00064/asmade): supports. Act No. 64, 2026, Schedule 1, ACL section 48A

[Cite or inspect this claim](https://unfairtrading.com/data/#au-s48a)

## What must the offer disclose?

The Act addresses the amount or method of calculating the charge, whether it is payable or may be payable, its per-transaction application and whether the displayed base price includes it. The disclosure remains with the base-price display. [↗Competition and Consumer Amendment (Unfair Trading Practices) Act 2026](https://www.legislation.gov.au/C2026A00064/asmade)

## Which amounts are treated separately?

The enacted exclusions include optional charges, payment surcharges and specified taxes, duties, fees, levies and pass-through amounts. Exclusion from section 48A does not mean another ACL rule cannot apply. [↗Competition and Consumer Amendment (Unfair Trading Practices) Act 2026](https://www.legislation.gov.au/C2026A00064/asmade)

## What applies today?

Existing section 48 single-price rules and sections 18 and 29 continue to matter. Section 48A expressly does not limit section 48, so teams need a layered pricing review. [↗Competition and Consumer Amendment (Unfair Trading Practices) Act 2026](https://www.legislation.gov.au/C2026A00064/asmade)[↗Competition and Consumer Act 2010, including Schedule 2: Australian Consumer Law](https://www.legislation.gov.au/C2004A00109/latest)

## What does this look like in a customer journey?

Illustrative example 1 · Mandatory booking charge

A fictional ticket service displays a $40 base price throughout search and selection, while a compulsory $9 booking charge per transaction first appears after payment details are entered.

Why it may matter: From commencement, each covered base-price display may need the section 48A information. Existing section 48 and misleading-conduct analysis remains separate and may apply now.

Illustrative example 2 · Variable service charge

A fictional delivery marketplace says only “service fee may apply”, although an unavoidable service charge is calculated as eight per cent of the basket for every transaction.

Why it may matter: The journey withholds the amount or calculation method and other enacted disclosure fields. Whether the charge and offer fall within section 48A must still be checked against its definitions and exclusions.

Illustrative customer journey

### Interface comparison

Potentially problematicTicket $40

Ticket $40. Compulsory $9 booking charge disclosed at payment

Compulsory $9 booking charge disclosed at payment

→

Neutral alternativeTicket $40 + $9 booking charge

Ticket $40 + $9 booking charge. Mandatory per transaction · not included in the base price

Mandatory per transaction · not included in the base price

Abstract comparison between a forty-dollar ticket price that omits a compulsory booking charge and a base-price display with the charge amount, payment, per-transaction and inclusion information.Provenance: Original abstract interface created by the portal editorial team; no real business, product, customer or interface is depicted.

## What is a fairer or lower-risk alternative?

Inventory every price component and apply existing section 48 separately. Where section 48A applies, keep the charge amount or calculation method, payment status, per-transaction character and base-price inclusion status legible, prominent, unambiguous and proximate to every base-price display.

## What is regulated, proposed or still open?

Status and source mapping for Drip pricing and section 48A transaction charges

Evidence layer; Status; What the source supports;

Section 48A transaction-charge disclosure; Commences 1 July 2027; For covered consumer-type goods or services, the base-price trigger leads to four charge-information fields and the enacted legibility, prominence, clarity, proximity and persistence standards, subject to the provision’s scope and exclusions. [↗Competition and Consumer Amendment (Unfair Trading Practices) Act 2026](https://www.legislation.gov.au/C2026A00064/asmade);

Possible section 28B overlap; Commences 1 July 2027; Concealing or ineffectively disclosing a material charge may also engage section 28B only if its complete consumer connection, conduct and detriment test is met. [↗Competition and Consumer Amendment (Unfair Trading Practices) Act 2026](https://www.legislation.gov.au/C2026A00064/asmade);

Existing price and misleading-conduct rules; Current enforcement; ACL section 48 and sections 18 and 29 continue to apply on their own terms. Section 48A(10) expressly preserves section 48 rather than replacing it. [↗Competition and Consumer Amendment (Unfair Trading Practices) Act 2026](https://www.legislation.gov.au/C2026A00064/asmade)[↗Competition and Consumer Act 2010, including Schedule 2: Australian Consumer Law](https://www.legislation.gov.au/C2004A00109/latest);

Additional exclusions or circumstances; Regulation pending; Section 48A permits additional excluded charges or circumstances to be prescribed. The core rule itself does not wait for those possible additions. [↗Competition and Consumer Amendment (Unfair Trading Practices) Act 2026](https://www.legislation.gov.au/C2026A00064/asmade);

Regulator implementation material; Guidance pending; Government and parliamentary materials anticipate ACCC education or guidance; no dedicated final implementation guide is treated as published. [↗Unfair trading tricks and traps to be banned](https://ministers.treasury.gov.au/ministers/andrew-leigh-2025/media-releases/unfair-trading-tricks-and-traps-be-banned)[↗Inquiry into the Competition and Consumer Amendment (Unfair Trading Practices) Bill 2026](https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Economics/UnfairTradingBill2026);

Fee inventory and evidence workflow; Editorial implementation guidance; The fee inventory, responsive-capture and ownership workflow is editorial portal analysis, not an express statutory duty or safe harbour. [↗Competition and Consumer Amendment (Unfair Trading Practices) Act 2026](https://www.legislation.gov.au/C2026A00064/asmade)[↗Competition and Consumer Act 2010, including Schedule 2: Australian Consumer Law](https://www.legislation.gov.au/C2004A00109/latest);

## What should teams review?

- Where does each base price appear across advertising, search, product, basket and affiliate feeds?

- Which amount is a transaction-based charge and which enacted or prescribed exclusion might apply?

- Does every display preserve all required information at mobile and assistive-technology sizes?

### Evidence to retain

- Fee taxonomy with amount, method, inclusion status and legal rationale

- Responsive captures of every base-price placement

- Price-feed, calculation and regression-test records

## Section 48A fee decision tree

General information only. The result is not legal advice or a certificate.

1. Does the offer display a base price for covered goods or services? Yes No / unsure2. Is a transaction-based charge payable or potentially payable? Yes No / unsure3. Is it only an optional charge, payment surcharge or another enacted/prescribed excluded amount? Yes No / unsure4. Is the disclosure legible, prominent, unambiguous, proximate and retained with the base price? Yes No / unsure

Planning indication

Answer the questions to see issues for review.

Source basis: Act No. 64 of 2026; verify facts and later instruments before relying on a result.

[Flowlane](https://www.getflowlane.com/?utm_source=unfairtrading.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=guide-drip-pricing-section-48a): It follows available search, product, basket and checkout states to record where the base price, mandatory fees and transaction-charge information appear. Classification under sections 48 and 48A remains a legal and pricing-team decision, not an automated compliance result. [Test a pricing journey →](https://www.getflowlane.com/?utm_source=unfairtrading.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=guide-drip-pricing-section-48a)

Evidence base

## Sources

- [Competition and Consumer Amendment (Unfair Trading Practices) Act 2026](https://www.legislation.gov.au/C2026A00064/asmade)Federal Register of Legislation · Primary · checked 2026-09-14 · C2026A00064

- [Competition and Consumer Act 2010, including Schedule 2: Australian Consumer Law](https://www.legislation.gov.au/C2004A00109/latest)Federal Register of Legislation · Primary · checked 2026-09-14 · C2004A00109

- [Unfair trading tricks and traps to be banned](https://ministers.treasury.gov.au/ministers/andrew-leigh-2025/media-releases/unfair-trading-tricks-and-traps-be-banned)Treasury Ministers · Primary · checked 2026-09-14

- [Inquiry into the Competition and Consumer Amendment (Unfair Trading Practices) Bill 2026](https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Economics/UnfairTradingBill2026)Senate Economics Legislation Committee · Primary · checked 2026-08-09

Source comparison: 14 September 2026 · [Dated findings](https://unfairtrading.com/updates/act-enacted-baseline/) · [Status and updates](https://unfairtrading.com/data/history/)

**What this comparison covered**

The enacted text still sets commencement for 1 July 2027. The ACCC reiterated the forthcoming reforms on 3 September 2026. No dedicated prescribing instrument or final implementation guide was identified in the official locations checked on 14 September.

This source comparison checked the amending Act, register records, Treasury and ACCC material, and the research basis of the learning library. The latest ACL compilation was identified, but its full consumer-law volume could not be retrieved. Negative search results do not establish that no later instrument exists. Illustrative practice labels remain editorial analysis.

Editorial responsibility: [Tobias Reittinger](https://unfairtrading.com/authors/tobias-reittinger/). Published by Flowlane.

Editorial responsibility does not indicate a personal legal review. Original studies and official documents retain their named authors.

**Cite this page**

Drip pricing and section 48A transaction charges | Unfair Trading Australia. Editorial responsibility: Tobias Reittinger. Unfair Trading Australia. Content version: 2026-09-14. [https://unfairtrading.com/drip-pricing-section-48a/](https://unfairtrading.com/drip-pricing-section-48a/)

[Claims and sources](https://unfairtrading.com/data/) · [Status and updates](https://unfairtrading.com/data/history/) · [Methodology](https://unfairtrading.com/methodology/) · [Corrections](https://unfairtrading.com/corrections/)

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