Card fees for restaurants in Malta
Published 12 November 2026 · 2 min read
Maltese restaurants deal with tourists, business diners and seasonal peaks. How to calculate your real card cost and where restaurants overpay.
In Maltese restaurants, almost every bill is now paid by card: locals, tourists from across Europe, British visitors and business diners. Each group costs you something different.
What drives a restaurant's card costs
- Average bill: with bills of €40 to €120, fixed fees per transaction matter little. The percentage matters a lot.
- Card mix: EU consumer debit cards are cheap; UK cards and business cards are not.
- Seasonality: busy summers, quieter winters, but terminal rental all year.
- Handheld terminals: paying at the table is faster, but each terminal can carry its own rental.
Tips on the card
Tips added on the terminal also carry a fee. Include them in your card turnover when you work out your real rate.
Example
A restaurant taking €35,000 a month by card at 1.8% all-in pays €630. At 1.2% it would pay €420: over €2,500 a year less.
What you can do
- Work out your real average rate from a summer and a winter statement.
- Check the share of UK and business cards in your turnover.
- Ask for an interchange++ quote and compare on your own numbers.