I would say the booking fare class is probably being trialled in overseas markets before being rolled out through the entire global online booking system. I remember Paul Harper saying NZ would look into this after a few people suggested it in the website thread.

As for non credit card surcharges in other countries, that is relatively common. QF doesn't charge a CC surcharge for ex-NZ bookings but does for ex-AU bookings. It just depends on the legal and consumer environment in each particular country (plus the various contracts they have with the CC providers in each country and the relevant banks and merchants).