We are wanting to let you know about an important change to the way Selah will accept payments from 1 October 2026.
From this date, changes to Australian card payment rules mean businesses will no longer be able to pass on credit and debit card merchant fees as a separate surcharge.
While this may sound like a positive change for consumers, businesses will still incur costs when accepting card payments. For a small, specialised travel business like Selah, where individual transactions can be many thousands of dollars, absorbing these costs on every payment is simply not commercially sustainable.
After considerable research and careful thought, we have therefore made the difficult decision to introduce a new payment policy from 1 October 2026.
What is changing?
Credit card payments will be limited to a maximum of AUD $1,000 per booking.
For most of our international tours, this means you may continue to pay your $1,000 deposit by Visa or Mastercard when securing your place.
All subsequent payments, including progress payments and final balances, will need to be made by direct bank transfer.
This applies to both new and existing bookings for payments made from 1 October 2026.
American Express
Unfortunately, we have also made the difficult decision to no longer accept American Express from 1 October 2026.
The cost to Selah of accepting American Express remains considerably higher, and without the ability to pass that cost on, it is no longer a viable payment option for our business.
International travellers
For travellers outside Australia, payments made using an international credit card can incur additional costs. Where an international card is used for the permitted deposit payment, a minimum USD $15 international processing/transfer fee will apply.
For this reason, we strongly recommend that our international travellers pay by international bank transfer wherever possible. We are very happy to provide our banking details and instructions.
Why are we making this change?
We appreciate that many people enjoy the convenience — and sometimes the reward points — associated with paying for travel by credit card, so we understand that this change may be disappointing.
However, travel is a very low-margin industry. On a substantial tour balance, the merchant fee can represent hundreds of dollars for a single transaction. Across an entire tour group, these costs quickly become significant.
Rather than build these costs into our tour prices and require every traveller to effectively contribute towards the cost of credit card payments, we believe limiting card payments to $1,000 and accepting balances by bank transfer is the fairest and most sustainable approach.
This has not been an easy decision, but it is an important one for Selah as a small Australian business.
Our priority remains what it has always been: to provide thoughtfully designed, good-value Christian travel experiences and to continue taking people to biblical places and beyond for many years to come.
Thank you for your understanding and for your continued support of Selah.
