What the caller pays
1300 Number Cost to Call
From an Australian fixed line, a 1300 call costs the caller no more than a local call — anywhere in the country. From a mobile it depends on your plan. The business pays the balance of the call cost.
- Up to a local call from fixed lines
- Same cost Australia-wide
- The business funds the rest
Cost-to-call questions
Is a 1300 call timed or untimed?
The caller-side local call charge is per call, but what the caller pays is capped at the local call rate regardless of distance. The business side of the call is billed per second, which is why call duration matters to the business rather than to you.
Why does the cost split this way?
1300 numbers are shared-cost by design: the caller contributes up to a local call rate and the receiving business pays the remainder. That is what separates a 1300 number from a free-call 1800 number, where the business pays everything.
Do all carriers charge mobiles the same for 1300 calls?
No. Each mobile carrier and plan sets how calls to 1300 numbers are treated — many include them in standard allowances, others bill them separately. Check your plan if the difference matters to you.
Does calling a 1300 number cost more from overseas?
Overseas calls to 1300 numbers generally will not connect at all — the format is domestic to Australia. Overseas callers need the business's geographic number or another contact channel.
The cost to call a 1300 number is capped by design: from any Australian fixed line, the caller pays no more than a local call rate, no matter where in the country the business sits or how long the call runs. The business receiving the call pays everything above that. This split — caller pays local, business pays the rest — is the defining feature of the 1300 format, and it is why the same number costs the same to call from Perth as it does from Brisbane.
What the caller pays, by phone type
| Calling from | Cost to the caller | |---|---| | Fixed landline, anywhere in Australia | Up to the local call rate — never a distance charge | | Mobile | Set by your carrier and plan; many plans include 1300 calls in standard allowances | | Overseas | The call generally will not connect — 1300 is a domestic format |
Two practical notes sit behind that table. First, no area code is ever added: the ten digits beginning with 1300 are the complete number. Second, the caller-side charge does not change with distance or duration — a five-minute call to a business across the country costs the same as a local call next door. The dialling mechanics are covered in how to call a 1300 number.
The mobile caveat, honestly
What a 1300 call consumes from a mobile allowance is decided by the mobile carrier, not by the business being called. Australian plans treat calls to 1300 numbers differently — some bundle them into included credit, others bill them as standard calls, and plan terms change over time. If you are on a tight prepaid balance, a quick check of your plan's terms answers the question for your specific situation better than any general rule can.
Why the business side matters to the caller
The shared-cost model is not charity — it is what keeps the number affordable for the businesses that publish 1300 numbers. The business pays a monthly plan (ours start at $10) plus per-second charges for the call time it receives, with cap inclusions covering the first slice of that time. Those business-side rates, plan by plan, are on the 1300 pricing page, and the complete cost picture — setup, monthly, call rates — is in 1300 number cost and pricing.
The format this makes possible is the point: a business can publish one national number, every caller knows the call costs them no more than a local call, and the business absorbs the variable cost that scales with its own enquiry volume. If the caller-side charge is still more than your audience will tolerate, that is precisely the case for the toll-free format — 1300 vs 1800 numbers compares the two splits.
Comparing the two toll formats as a caller
| | 1300 number | 1800 number | |---|---|---| | Cost from an Australian fixed line | Up to the local call rate | Free | | Cost from a mobile | Depends on carrier and plan | Depends on carrier and plan | | Who pays the balance | The business | The business |
From a fixed line the 1800 format is the cheaper call for the caller; from most mobile plans the two now behave the same. Either way, the business funds everything above the caller's contribution — the per-second billing on its plan is what makes "one number for the whole country" possible.
The business side of the call
Get a 1300 number from $10 a month
Your callers pay up to a local call rate and your plan covers the rest — one national number, routed to the phones you already use.