1800 Numbers — Cost to Call
Calling an 1800 number costs the caller nothing in the Australian context — the business pays. See the published 1800 rate table and what drives the bill.
The cost to call an 1800 number is zero for the caller in the stated Australian 1800-number context — that is the published arrangement: callers pay nothing and the business pays the call charges. So the real cost question sits with the business, and the published answer is a monthly plan from $10 plus a per-minute rate table. The current 1800 rates are reproduced below from the pricing page.
Published 1800 plan rates
| Plan | Monthly fee | Fixed line rate | Mobile rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1800 Prepaid | $10 | 15c per minute | 35c per minute |
| 1800 Light | $15 | 12c per minute | 32c per minute |
| 1800 Cap39 | $39 | 10c per minute | 30c per minute |
| 1800 Fixed Cap39 | $39 | 15c per minute | 35c per minute |
| 1800 Mobile Cap39 | $39 | 12c per minute | 30c per minute |
| 1800 Cap79 | $79 | 7c per minute | 25c per minute |
| 1800 High Volume | $99 | 5c per minute | 16c per minute |
Call rates are published per minute, calculated on a per-second basis. The Prepaid and Light plans list $5 call credit; the Cap plans list included minute allowances (for example, 250 fixed line minutes plus 100 mobile minutes on Cap39); the High Volume plan lists $99 call credit. Each plan row on the pricing page carries its current inclusions.
Why the business-side rate table matters more on 1800
On a shared-cost 1300 number the caller absorbs a local call cost; on an 1800 number the business carries every call. That makes the rate table — and the gap between fixed line and mobile rates — the decisive part of the cost. Match the plan to the device mix and volume you expect, and use the Cap plans' included allowances as the comparison point rather than the monthly fee alone. This page reproduces published figures without calculating examples.
Comparing with the other formats
If zero caller cost is not essential, a 1300 number splits the cost and its plans also start at $10 per month. The 1300 vs 1800 vs 13 numbers comparison and the 1800 numbers overview cover the trade-offs; the 1800 telephone number costs page carries the buying-cost view.
1800 call cost questions
Does it cost money to call an 1800 number?
Not for the caller in the stated Australian 1800-number context — callers pay nothing and the business pays the call charges. The business-side rates are the per-minute amounts in the plan table.
Do mobile callers pay to call an 1800 number?
The published free-call arrangement is stated in the Australian 1800-number context without device qualifications. What is published with device detail is the business-side rate table — mobile calls carry a higher per-minute rate on every plan.
What is the cheapest published 1800 plan?
The 1800 Prepaid plan at $10 per month, listing $5 call credit and rates of 15c per minute to fixed lines and 35c per minute to mobiles. Verify on the current pricing page.
How do I keep the 1800 bill predictable?
The Cap plans publish included minute allowances, with the monthly fee the only charge until the included value is used — then per-minute rates apply. Compare allowances against your expected call volume on the pricing page.
Who pays what
See the real cost structure of 1800 calls
Compare the published 1800 plans and per-minute rates before choosing.