1800 definition
What Are 1800 Numbers?
1800 numbers are Australia's toll-free business numbers: ten digits, free for callers from fixed lines, funded by the business that receives the call, and virtual — not tied to any line or address.
- Ten digits: 1800 + six more
- Free to callers from fixed lines
- Virtual — answers on your existing phones
What are 1800 numbers? Questions
What is an 1800 number?
An Australian toll-free business number. Callers dial the ten digits from a fixed line at no cost, and the business receiving the call pays the entire call cost under its plan.
Are 1800 numbers free from mobiles?
That depends on the caller's carrier and plan, which set the caller-side charge for 1800 numbers. Many plans include them; callers should check their own terms.
How is 1800 different from 1300?
Only the cost split. On 1800 the caller pays nothing from fixed lines and the business pays everything; on 1300 the caller contributes up to the local call rate. Dialling and features are identical.
Who uses 1800 numbers?
Businesses and organisations that want a free-call line for customers — support desks, sales teams, booking lines and national operations — plus callers who read the prefix as "call anytime, it's free".
An 1800 number is Australia's toll-free business number. Ten digits — 1800 plus six — that any Australian can dial from a fixed line at no cost at all, with the entire call cost landing on the business that receives it. The number is virtual: no line, no address, no area code, routing to whatever phones the business chooses. Put together, an 1800 number is a business contact point whose defining feature is the free call — the prefix does the persuading.
What an 1800 number is
| Property | An 1800 number... | |---|---| | Format | 1800 plus six digits — ten digits total | | Type | Virtual, inbound-only business number | | Reach | National — dials identically from any Australian phone | | Caller cost | Nothing, from a fixed line | | Business cost | The entire call, per second, plus a monthly plan from $10 | | Features | Routing, IVR, voicemail-to-email, recording, reporting |
What an 1800 number is not
Not free to run. The free call is funded entirely by the business — the plan ladder runs $10 to $99 a month with per-second call charges, set out in 1800 number cost. Not free from every mobile — the caller's carrier and plan decide that, so callers check their terms. Not geographic — no area code, no suburb, no address in the digits. Not a directory entry — no public registry lists which business holds which 1800 number. The full definition-side comparison with the 1300 format is in 1300 vs 1800 numbers.
Who chooses them
The format suits lines where a free call changes caller behaviour: customer support, sales hotlines, bookings and recall notices. Callers read the prefix as "established business, free to ring" — recognition the business does not have to explain. The trade is the bill, which is why high-volume operations weigh 1300; businesses that want the free-call promise without the full toll-free bill per call, at modest volumes, often simply choose 1800 and enjoy the positioning.
Getting one
Choose a number from the available 1800 numbers pool — standard numbers and phonewords — pick a plan from the ladder, and point the number at the phones you already answer. The mechanics behind the promise are in how 1800 numbers work in Australia, and the product overview at 1800 numbers.
The toll-free format
Get an 1800 number for your business
Search the available pool and connect a toll-free number from $10 a month.