Starts 1 July 2027/C2026A00064/Read from the authorised Act/Not legal advice; does not certify
Competition and Consumer CheckerThe Act, section by section
Section 48A(3)Scope or machinery

How the charge information must be shown

The information must be displayed while the base price is displayed, legibly, prominently and without ambiguity, and close to the base price. The test is visual and spatial, so a link, a tooltip or a separate fees page will not do on its own.

Competition and Consumer Amendment (Unfair Trading Practices) Act 2026, Schedule 1, Part 2, item 15, section 48A(3)Starts 1 July 2027Part 2: drip pricing
The requirement

Place the charge information with the base price, at the same time, in a form a consumer can read without searching. It must be prominent relative to the price, not buried in small print.

Who it binds. The supplier who displays the base price, and the designers and content owners who build the screen.

Operative term. legible, prominent and unambiguous

What this means in practice

Legibility is about size and contrast. Prominence is about relative weight: a fee note in grey 10px under a bold headline price is not prominent. Closeness is about distance on the screen, including on a phone where the price and the note can be separated by a scroll. Unambiguous means one meaning: "may apply" is different from "applies". The duty travels with the price, so the same standard applies on the product page, the basket, the checkout and any advertisement that displays a base price. A design system should carry the charge block as a component, not as a one-off footnote.

How to test it

Check the rendered page, not the design file. On a phone, measure whether the price and the charge information are visible together or require a scroll. Check the contrast and the type size against the surrounding content. Read the note aloud: if it can be read two ways, rewrite it. Ask a person who has not seen the page to find the total cost and say what is included. If they cannot, the display fails the manner test even if the right words are present.

Evidence to keep

The Act does not prescribe these records. They are the artefacts our reading says a regulator or auditor may ask for; keep the ones that fit your business and the provision.

  • Rendered screenshotsDesktop and phone screenshots showing the price and the charge block together.
  • Accessibility checkThe contrast ratio and type size for the charge block, with the tool output.
  • Copy testA comprehension test with a person outside the team, and the corrected wording.
  • Design componentThe approved price-and-charge component, with the rule for its use.
  • Publishing checklistThe step that blocks a page which displays a price without the component.

What to do first

  1. Build one price-and-charge component and make it the only approved way to show a price.
  2. Test the component on a phone before it ships, not only on a desktop canvas.
  3. Add a publishing check that fails a page with a price and no charge block.

Questions

Can the information be behind a link?
The Act requires it to be displayed in close proximity to the base price and at the same time. A link alone does not meet that description, though a link can sit beside a compliant display.
Does it apply to advertising?
It applies each time a base price is displayed, so an advertisement that displays a base price is within the trigger. The exception is an offer made exclusively to a body corporate.

Related sections

s 48A(2): Drip pricing dutys 48A(6): Definitionss 28B(6): Examples