The switch decision
1300 Numbers vs Traditional Landlines
A landline is a wire in your wall; a 1300 number is a routing rule that follows your business. Here is what switching changes, what it costs, and what the landline keeps doing.
- Public number that never changes
- Routing a wire cannot offer
- From $10/month on top of existing phones
Switching questions
Do I lose my landline if I switch to a 1300?
No — the 1300 sits in front of it. The landline keeps working for outgoing calls and as the answer point; the 1300 becomes the number you publish.
Is a 1300 cheaper than a landline?
They bill differently: the landline is line rental plus your outgoing calls, while the 1300 is a plan from $10 plus call charges on its inbound traffic. Compare totals, not sticker rates — ours are published on the pricing page.
What does the 1300 do that the landline cannot?
Move with the business, route by time and caller location, overflow between phones, sort callers with an IVR menu, record and report — all on the one published number.
Should I choose 1300 or 1800 when I switch?
1300 for the shared-cost run rate, 1800 for the free-call promise. The comparison is in our 1300 vs 1800 guide; the switch itself is the same process either way.
The switch from a landline to a 1300 number is not a replacement — it is a promotion. The landline keeps doing what it is good at: a physical line for outgoing calls, a fallback answer point. The 1300 takes over the job the landline was never built for: being the public, portable, measurable face of the business. Here is what changes, honestly.
What the switch fixes
- The moving problem. A landline number belongs to a street. Change premises and the number dies — along with every place it is printed. A 1300 is virtual: repoint the routing and the digits follow the business.
- The one-phone problem. A landline rings one phone. A 1300 routes: overflow lists for busy periods, time-based rules for after hours, IVR menus for teams.
- The measurement problem. Landline calls vanish into the monthly bill. A 1300 reports volumes, durations and origins — and with tracking numbers, attributes calls to the campaigns that earned them.
- The advertising problem. Publishing your landline publishes your geography and your personal line. Publishing a 1300 publishes a business.
What the landline keeps doing
Outgoing calls, fax lines, EFTPOS and alarm connections — the landline's day job is not under threat. The switch moves the published inbound number to the 1300; the wire keeps humming behind it. Calls to the 1300 land on the landline exactly as before, so nothing about answering changes on day one.
The comparison, line by line
| | Traditional landline | 1300 number | |---|---|---| | Tied to | A physical line and address | The business, virtually | | Caller cost | Standard call rate for the region | Up to the local call rate, nationwide | | Routing | None — one phone | Time, location, overflow, round-robin, IVR | | Portability | Lost on move (new area, new number) | Survives moves and provider changes | | Reporting | None | Volumes, durations, origins | | Plans | Line rental + calls | From $10/month + inbound call charges |
The bill comparison deserves the same honesty as everything here: a landline's rental and your 1300's plan are different products with different traffic, so compare what each costs for the job it does — published rates are on the pricing page.
Making the switch
Keep the landline answering; publish the 1300. Search the available 1300 numbers pool for your digits, connect on a plan from $10 a month, and point it at the landline you already answer. The format comparison with the toll-free option is in 1300 vs 1800 numbers, the mechanics in how 1300 numbers work, and the product overview at 1300 numbers.
Switch without breaking anything
Put a 1300 number on your business
Keep your landline answering — publish the number that never changes.