The long guide
1300 & 1800 Numbers: The Ultimate Guide for Business
Everything a business needs on the two Australian inbound formats: how they work, how they differ, why they replace the landline, and which one fits your call handling.
- Both formats from $10/month
- Virtual: no hardware, no lines
- Routing, IVR, recording, reporting included
Guide questions
Which is better for my business — 1300 or 1800?
1300 if callers can share the cost and volume is high — the cheaper run rate. 1800 if the free-call promise matters more than the bill. Same features, same plans; the choice is the cost split.
Do I need new phones for a 1300 or 1800 number?
No — both are virtual numbers that route to the landline or mobile you already answer. There is no hardware to buy and no line to install.
What happens to the number if my business moves?
Nothing. The number is virtual and portable: re-point the routing to the new location, change providers if you like, and the digits your customers know stay the same.
Can I track which marketing produces the calls?
Yes — allocate a tracking number per campaign and the reporting shows call volumes by source, with recording available for quality. The model is per-number attribution.
Australian businesses settle on 1300 and 1800 numbers for a reason: they solve the problems a traditional landline cannot — geography, portability, call handling and measurement — at an entry price of $10 a month. This guide covers the whole decision: what each format is, how they differ, why businesses switch, and how to get one. If you already know the basics, the linked section pages carry each topic deeper.
What the two formats are
A 1300 number is Australia's shared-cost business number: ten digits, nationally dialled with no area code, where the caller pays up to the local call rate and the business pays the remaining call cost. An 1800 number is the toll-free format: same ten-digit shape, same national reach, but the caller pays nothing from a fixed line and the business funds the entire call.
Both are virtual numbers issued under the national numbering plan — not attached to any line or address — and both carry the same feature layer: call routing, IVR menus, voicemail-to-email, call recording and call reporting. The definitions in full are at what are 1300 numbers, with the product overviews at 1300 numbers and 1800 numbers.
1300 vs 1800: the one difference that matters
Everything except the bill is identical: dialling, plans ($10–$99 a month on the same ladder), routing, features. The difference is who pays for call time:
| | 1300 number | 1800 number | |---|---|---| | Caller pays (fixed line) | Up to the local call rate | Nothing | | Business pays | Remaining call cost | Entire call cost | | Best suited to | High volumes, expected calls | Support, sales, free-call positioning |
Choose 1300 when callers are willing participants and volume makes their contribution count. Choose 1800 when cost hesitation on the caller's side is the enemy — support lines, sales hotlines, "call us free" advertising. The complete comparison is in 1300 vs 1800 numbers.
Choosing the right number
The format decided, the digits are a branding choice: judge candidates by ear — said once, recalled later, dialled correctly — and prefer patterns (repeats, runs, echoes of your brand) over random sequences. Standard numbers ride the regular plans; phonewords that spell your brand word are the premium recall play, from $40 a month. The choosing method follows the ear test, set out on the choosing page.
Why businesses switch from a landline
- No geography. A landline belongs to a street; a 1300 or 1800 belongs to the business. Move offices, keep the number, repoint the routing the same day.
- Routing instead of forwarding. Time-based rules, overflow lists and IVR menus attach to the number — call handling that a single landline line cannot offer.
- Shared or shifted cost. On 1300, callers contribute the local rate, trimming what the business pays; on 1800, the customer's call costs them nothing. A landline call is a standard charge to whoever dials.
- The feature layer. Recording, reporting and voicemail-to-email attach to the number, not to a handset — which is what makes a one-person business answer like an institution.
The benefits, verified
The business case rests on mechanics rather than adjectives: national reach at local-call cost to customers; a published number that survives moves, growth and provider changes; privacy for the phones behind it; and call handling that scales from one answer point to an overflow list to an IVR. Each traces to how the system works, as set out in the mechanics guide.
Getting either number
The process is one process: decide the format, search the available numbers pool, pick a plan from the ladder, connect an answer point, test, and advertise. Existing numbers port instead of being replaced. The cost model end to end is in 1300 number cost and pricing.
Start the guide's last step
Get the number the guide was leading to
Search available 1300 and 1800 numbers and connect one from $10 a month.