The cost split, plainly
Is 1300 Numbers Free to Call?
No — "free to call" describes 1800 numbers, not 1300s. A 1300 call shares the cost between caller and business, so the caller pays a local-style rate from a fixed line and more from some mobiles. Here is the exact split.
- 1300: shared cost, not free
- 1800: free to the caller
- Business pays both ways
Free-to-call questions
What does a 1300 call cost the caller?
From a standard Australian fixed line, a 1300 call is charged at a local-call-style rate rather than free. From mobiles, the rate depends on your carrier and plan — carriers set their own treatment of 1300 calls, so check your plan terms for the current figure.
Which number is free for callers, then?
The 1800 range. Its design makes the caller pay nothing from a standard fixed line and the business fund the entire call. That is the honest difference between the two formats — and why businesses that market "free call" use 1800.
Does the business pay for 1300 calls too?
Yes. The 1300 model splits the cost: the caller pays the local-style component and the business pays for the call it receives under its plan. The owner-side figures are in our 1300 cost guide.
"Is 1300 numbers free to call" — asked however the keyboard lands it — has one honest answer: no. Free-to-caller is the design of the 1800 range. The 1300 range was built to share the cost: the caller pays a local-call-style rate and the business pays the rest. If a page told you 1300s are free, it blurred the two formats. This page gives the split precisely, with the one variable that keeps needing hedging.
The 1300 cost split
Two payers, by design:
- The caller pays a local-call-style rate from a standard Australian fixed line — not free, but not a long-distance charge either, wherever in Australia the business answers.
- The business pays for the call it receives under its plan, billed per second against per-minute rates. The owner-side numbers are in what does a 1300 number cost.
The mobile variable sits on the caller's side: from a mobile, the rate depends on your carrier and plan, because carriers set their own treatment of 1300 calls. We hedge that on purpose — a current plan-terms check beats a stale promise. The provider-specific questions (AldiMobile, Gomo and friends) each have their own page, and the general pattern is in are 1300 numbers free to call in Australia.
Where "free to call" actually lives
The 1800 range is the free-to-caller design: the caller pays nothing from a standard fixed line and the business funds the whole call. That difference is the entire decision between the formats — a business marketing "free call 1800…" is making a promise the 1300 format cannot keep. The full comparison is in 1300 vs 1800 numbers, and the 1800 caller-side picture is in calling 1800 numbers in Australia.
Choosing by the promise you want to make
If your callers are business clients who ring from fixed lines and the local-style rate is fine, a 1300 number from $10 a month is the standard choice — the product is on 1300 numbers. If your promise is "call us free", the 1800 range is the tool, also from $10 a month, searchable on available numbers. Either way the caller's side of the price is not yours to decide — it is the format's.
Want the free-call line?
Get an 1800 number instead
The number Australian callers know as free — routed, recorded and reported from $10 a month.