Why Can't I Call 1300 Numbers?

When 1300 numbers will not connect, the reason is almost never mysterious. Five causes cover virtually every failed call, and each has a fix you can try in under a minute. Work down the list.

Cause 1: the digits

A 1300 number is ten digits — 1300 plus six — dialled with no area code. Copied numbers pick up typos, dropped digits and stray spaces. Re-dial the number exactly as the business prints it on its own website.

Cause 2: the 13-versus-1300 mix-up

Australia runs two short inbound formats, and they are not interchangeable: 13 numbers are six digits (13 plus four), while 1300 numbers are ten digits (1300 plus six). If a listing has scrambled the formats — "13 52 74 10" wearing a 1300 label, or a 13 number printed with extra digits — the dialled number simply does not exist. Check the number's shape against its prefix: 13 + four digits, or 1300 + six digits. Note also that some plans treat 13 and 1300 calls differently on price.

Cause 3: dialling from overseas

1300 numbers belong to Australia's domestic network, and most will not connect from other countries at all. If you are abroad, use the business's website, email or a +61 geographic number — the detail is in are 1300 numbers free from overseas.

Cause 4: your plan or phone

If no 1300 number connects from your phone while ordinary calls work, your plan or handset is the variable: a restricted plan barring special ranges, an exhausted prepaid balance, or a network issue. Try a different phone; if the pattern holds, your carrier can check the account in minutes. What 1300 calls cost on your plan is a separate question with the same answer source — your carrier.

Cause 5: the business''s setup

If other 1300 numbers connect and one specific number never does, stop troubleshooting: the fault is on that business's side — routing rules, account credit or a dead answer point. Nothing you dial differently will fix it. Let it go, use the business's website contact details, and if you own the number, the not-working diagnostic walks the owner-side checks in order.

The one-minute triage

1. Re-dial all ten digits, no area code.
2. Check the shape: 13 + four, or 1300 + six.
3. In Australia? Overseas callers need a different route.
4. Try another 1300 number — if it works, your phone is fine.
5. One stubborn number: the business has the fault; two or more: your carrier does.

Callers who want the full dialling sequence and costs are covered in how to call a 1300 number; the mobile-specific version of this question is in why can't I call a 1300 number from my mobile. And if you run the number that keeps failing for your customers, fix the routing — the product overview is at 1300 numbers.