The price we quote is the price you pay

Credit card surcharges have been the subject of considerable discussion across Australia recently.

For customers, the appeal of straightforward pricing is easy to understand. A price is displayed or quoted, a purchase is made, and no additional percentage appears at the final step. For small businesses, however, the issue is more complicated.

Accepting card payments costs money. Merchant fees, payment platforms and banking charges are normal operating expenses, but they can place additional pressure on businesses already managing increases in insurance, equipment, freight, rent, software and many other costs.

At Andrew Tunney Photography, our position is straightforward:

We have never charged a credit card surcharge, and we never will.

Why we have taken this approach

Professional photography is generally commissioned through a considered process.

A client discusses the assignment, receives a quotation and decides whether the proposed service and deliverables meet the organisation’s needs and budget. That quotation should provide a clear understanding of the amount that will be paid.

We do not believe a client should reach the payment stage and discover that the quoted amount has increased because a credit card was used.

Whether a client is booking commercial photography, event coverage, project documentation or purchasing photographic artwork, the price quoted should be the price paid.

Card-processing costs are real, but we regard those costs as part of operating a photography business. They sit alongside camera equipment, insurance, editing systems, data storage, transport, website hosting and the many less-visible expenses required to provide a professional service.

That is how Andrew Tunney Photography has always approached them.

This is not a criticism of other small businesses

It is important to make a clear distinction between explaining our policy and passing judgement on another business.

Millions of Australian small-business owners operate with limited margins. Many work long hours, employ local people and carry expenses that customers may never see. For some, surcharging has been a practical way to recover a specific cost rather than quietly spreading that cost across every sale.

We understand why businesses have made that decision.

Removing the ability to recover card fees separately does not cause the underlying processing expense to disappear. Businesses must still determine how those costs will be managed, absorbed or reflected in their broader pricing. It is reasonable for owners to be concerned about that, particularly in sectors where margins are tight.

Every business has a different cost structure. A busy hospitality venue processing hundreds of small payments each day faces a different situation from a photography business issuing a smaller number of invoices for commissioned work.

Our policy is therefore not a judgement on businesses that previously applied lawful surcharges. It is simply a statement about how we choose to operate.

Why transparent pricing matters in photography

Clients commissioning professional photography are often working within an approved budget.

A marketing team might be allocating campaign funds. An event organiser may need certainty across several suppliers. A government or community organisation could be working within a defined project allocation. A local business might be investing carefully in new website imagery.

In each circumstance, pricing clarity matters.

Our quotations are designed to explain the agreed photography service, the expected deliverables and the applicable price. If the scope of an assignment changes, that is discussed directly. The client’s choice to pay by credit card does not create an additional surcharge.

This approach is not a special promotion or a temporary response to current events. It is how we have always done business, and it is how we intend to continue.

Our continuing commitment

Andrew Tunney Photography will continue to accept the normal costs associated with credit card processing as a business expense.

There will be:

• No percentage added for paying by credit card

• No additional card-processing line on the final invoice

• No payment-stage surprise after a quotation has been accepted

The price we quote remains the price the client pays, provided the agreed scope does not change.

We respect the difficult decisions facing Australian small businesses as payment rules and operating costs evolve. Our own decision is simple and longstanding:

No credit card surcharges. Ever.

For commercial, corporate, event and project photography enquiries across Cairns and Far North Queensland, please contact Andrew Tunney Photography through our website here.