How to Call an 1800 Number in Australia

Calling an 1800 number in Australia is deliberately simple: dial the complete 10-digit number — 1800 followed by six digits — exactly as it is displayed, from anywhere in Australia. No area code, no prefixes. From an Australian fixed line the call is free, and the business you are calling pays 100 per cent of the call cost. That is the entire point of the 1800 format: the caller's cost barrier is removed.

Dialling from an Australian landline

From any Australian fixed line, dial the 10 digits as shown — for example 1800 123 456. Your location does not matter: an 1800 number is national, so calling a Perth-based business from Sydney costs you nothing, and the call is free whether it lasts thirty seconds or an hour. Nothing appears on your phone bill for the call itself.

Dialling from a mobile

Dial the same 10 digits from your mobile. What the call costs you is decided by your mobile carrier and plan, not by the business you are calling — carriers treat calls to 1800 numbers differently, and many plans include them under your standard call allowance. If you are unsure what your plan charges, a quick check with your provider settles it before you dial. Either way, you never need an area code or special prefix from an Australian mobile.

What happens after you dial

Your call travels through the network to the business's virtual exchange, which applies the routing rules the business has configured and connects you to their answer point — a landline, a mobile or a call centre line. Depending on how the business has set the number up, you might hear:

• A standard ring while your call connects to the answer point.
• An IVR menu — "for sales press 1, for support press 2" — that routes you to the right team.
• After-hours handling, such as voicemail or a message-to-email service, if you call outside the business's hours.

From your side it behaves like any other phone call. The routing happens before you hear more than a ring or two.

If the call will not connect

Work through the common causes in order:

1. Check the digits. The number should be exactly 10 digits starting with 1800. Missing or transposed digits are the most common fault.
2. Check where you are. 1800 numbers work within Australia's domestic network. Most cannot be dialled directly from overseas — if you are travelling, use the business's website or ask for an alternative number.
3. Try another phone. If one phone consistently fails on 1800 numbers, the fault may sit with your device or account rather than the number — your provider can check.
4. Fall back to the business directly. If a specific number will not connect, the issue is usually on the business's side, such as its routing configuration. Its website will list another way to make contact.

For a deeper version of this troubleshooting path, see what to do when 1800 numbers are not working.

1800 or 1300: how the call cost differs

The two formats dial identically but bill differently. An 1800 call is free for you from a fixed line, and the business pays the whole cost. A 1300 call charges you up to the local call rate, with the business covering the remainder — the shared-cost model. If a business gives you both options and you are calling from a landline, the 1800 number is the free one. The caller-side steps for 1300 are in how to call a 1300 number.

If you are reading this as a business owner: an 1800 number gives your customers exactly this experience. 1800 numbers explains the product, or you can pick a number from the available numbers pool and connect it today.