Australians hate surcharges. So why don’t we move to QR codes?

In April 2026, Australians continued to rely heavily on contactless payments, as cash transactions made up only 13 percent of total transactions. In contrast, Japan remained more cash-dependent, with around 40 percent of transactions involving physical currency. The emergence of QR code payments like PayPay has gained popularity in Japan due to lower costs for businesses.

Read more on SMH →