Choosing a format
1300 or 1800: Which Number Suits Your Business?
Same plans, same features, same dialling — the choice is a single trade. 1300 splits the call cost with your callers; 1800 hands the whole call to your bill and lets you advertise "free call".
- Both from $10/month
- Same routing, IVR, recording and reporting
- You can switch formats later
Choosing between 1300 and 1800
Is one format cheaper to run?
Per call, 1300 — the caller's local-rate contribution reduces what your business pays. The monthly plans themselves are identical, from $10 to $99, so the difference lives entirely in the call charges.
When is 1800 worth the extra call cost?
When the call is worth more than its cost: support lines, sales hotlines and booking lines, where a caller hesitating over the charge is a lost conversation.
Can customers tell the formats apart?
Yes, by habit: Australians read 1800 as "free call" and 1300 as "local call". That recognition is part of what you are buying, and it favours 1800 for customer-facing promises.
Can I change from 1300 to 1800 later?
Yes. Both formats run on the same platform with the same routing, recording and reporting, so switching is a service change. Many businesses simply run one of each.
For an Australian business choosing between a 1300 and an 1800 number, the decision is smaller than it looks. Both formats dial identically, run on identical plans from $10 to $99 a month, and carry the same routing, IVR, recording and reporting. The formats differ in exactly one dimension — who pays for call time — and every good reason to pick one over the other flows from that single trade.
The trade in one table
| | 1300 number | 1800 number | |---|---|---| | Caller pays (fixed line) | Up to the local call rate | Nothing | | Business pays | Remaining call cost | Entire call cost | | Advertised promise | "Local call anywhere" | "Free call" | | Plans | From $10/month | From $10/month |
The full side-by-side explanation is in 1300 vs 1800 numbers; this page is the choosing guide.
Choose 1300 when your priority is your own bill
- High call volumes. Every caller contributes up to the local call rate, so at hundreds of calls a month the savings are real. The mechanics are in 1300 number cost and pricing.
- Routine, expected calls. Bookings, orders, account queries — callers expect to spend a moment on the phone and accept a local rate without thinking.
- Trade and B2B traffic. Business callers rarely balk at a local-rate call, and the shared saving lands directly on your P&L.
Choose 1800 when the call itself is the prize
- Support and complaints. A customer who needs help should never weigh the cost of asking. The bill structure is in 1800 number cost.
- Sales and lead lines. "Call us free" removes the last excuse not to ring, which is precisely what the toll-free format was designed for.
- Advertising and signage. An 1800 number on a van or an ad carries the free-call promise in its prefix — recognition you do not have to explain.
The two-minute decision
- Would a caller hesitate over the charge? If hesitation costs you conversations, choose 1800.
- Do you answer high volumes of expected calls? If yes and callers are willing participants, choose 1300 and keep the saving.
- Still torn? Start on 1300 — the entry plan is $10 either way — and add an 1800 line when the free-call promise becomes worth it. Both formats can run side by side on the same platform.
Whichever way you lean, the practical step is the same: pick your digits from the available numbers pool, point the number at the phones you already answer, and let the routing do the work. The product overviews are at 1300 numbers and 1800 numbers.
Both formats, one pool
Choose your number and connect it today
Search available 1300 and 1800 numbers and answer either format on your existing phones.