Caller cost answer
Does a 1300 Number Cost to Call?
Yes — calling a 1300 number costs the caller up to the local call rate from an Australian fixed line, wherever the business sits. It is never a long-distance or premium charge.
- Caller pays: up to local call rate
- Never a premium or distance charge
- Free-call format is 1800
Does it cost to call? Follow-ups
What exactly does the caller pay?
Up to the local call rate from a fixed line — if your landline plan includes local calls, the 1300 call is typically drawn from that inclusion. From a mobile, your carrier and plan set the charge.
Is 1300 more expensive than a normal call?
No. The format caps the caller at the local call rate no matter the distance — there is no long-distance or premium component anywhere in a 1300 call.
Which numbers are free instead?
1800 numbers: from a fixed line the call costs the caller nothing and the business funds the whole call. The trade-offs are compared in our 1300 vs 1800 guide.
Who pays the rest of the call?
The business that owns the number, under its monthly plan — the shared-cost design that makes 1300 cheaper to run than toll-free 1800.
Yes — a 1300 number does cost something to call, but less than people fear. From an Australian fixed line, the call costs the caller up to the local call rate: the same kind of charge as ringing a business across town, with no long-distance component, no premium rate and no distance penalty anywhere in the format. From a mobile, the charge is whatever your carrier and plan set for 1300 calls.
What the caller pays, by phone type
| Calling from | Caller cost | |---|---| | Fixed landline | Up to the local call rate — often inside a plan''s included local calls | | Mobile | Carrier- and plan-dependent; many plans include 1300 calls | | Overseas | The call generally will not connect — 1300 is domestic |
Dialling never changes: ten digits, no area code, from any Australian phone. If your plan bundles local calls, a 1300 call typically behaves like one; if you are unsure what your mobile plan does with 1300 calls, its terms page or your carrier can settle it in a minute.
Why the caller pays at all
1300 is the shared-cost format: the caller's local-rate contribution lowers the bill for the business receiving the call, which funds everything above the local rate on its own plan. That is the design — and the reason high-volume businesses choose 1300 over 1800, where the business pays the entire call and callers pay nothing from fixed lines. The comparison is set out in 1300 vs 1800 numbers, the fuller caller-cost picture in are 1300 numbers free to call in Australia, and the dialling steps in how to call a 1300 number.
For the business reading this
The caller-side cost of a 1300 number is deliberately mild — a local call, nationally — while your own bill gains a shared contribution from every caller. Pick a number from the available 1300 numbers pool and put it on a plan from $10 a month; the product overview is at 1300 numbers.
Cheap for your callers too
Get a 1300 number from $10 a month
Local-rate calls for customers nationwide, answered on the phones you already use.