Toll Numbers in Australia — the Family Explained
Australia's toll-adjacent inbound family has two main members — caller-free 1800 and shared-cost 1300. Who pays what on each, and how to choose between them.
"Toll numbers" in Australia really means a family of two: the 1800 number, where the toll belongs entirely to the business and callers pay nothing in the stated Australian 1800-number context, and the 1300 number, where the toll is shared — the caller pays a local call cost and the business pays the remainder. Both sit on published plans from $10 per month.
The family, side by side
| Member | Caller pays | Business pays |
|---|---|---|
| 1800 | Nothing, in the Australian context | The full call charges, per the plan's rate table |
| 1300 | A local call cost | The remainder of each call, per the plan's rate table |
Published plans for both run across $10, $15, $39, $79 and $99 per month, each with separate fixed-line and mobile per-minute rates — the tables on the pricing page are the comparison that matters.
Choosing the member that fits
The choice is a promise about who pays. If nothing should discourage the call — support, sales, complaints — the 1800 promise is the fit, and the business budgets for every minute. If callers can reasonably contribute — frequent, short, practical calls — the 1300 split shares the load. Neither member is better; they answer different questions about the same phone call.
Where words fit in the family
Either member can spell a word: an 1800 or 1300 Phoneword carries up to six letters on the keypad mapping (a 13-base word carries four), and 1300 327 934 spells 1300 EASY DIAL. The word adds a component from $40 per month with availability and desirability affecting the price — confirmed at sign-up, on top of whichever plan the number rides. Families, like numbers, are chosen for the job: the word and the caller arrangement are independent choices, and the published pricing keeps them separate on the bill.
Running one of each without confusion
Businesses that operate both members side by side have one job: keep the promises straight in public. The 1800 number goes where "free to call" is the message — support pages, complaints, the side of the van aimed at worried customers. The 1300 number goes where a local call cost is unremarkable — trade counters, booking lines, directories. Publishing each number where its caller arrangement makes sense is what stops customers wondering why one line cost them something and the other did not.
What this family overview does not claim
No international caller behaviour — the published material covers the Australian context only. No outcome promises — the family describes who pays, not who profits. And no rankings between the two members — the rate tables and your call pattern make the comparison.
Related reading: toll telephone number for the toll-free deep dive, toll phone lines for the plan-side view, or the 1300 numbers overview.
Toll number questions
Are 1300 numbers toll numbers?
In the family sense used here, yes — they share the toll between caller and business. Toll-free in the strict sense is the 1800 arrangement alone.
Which family member costs the business less?
Per call, the 1300 split — the caller's local call cost reduces what the business pays. The published tables make the comparison concrete against your call volumes.
Can I have one of each?
The published flow is per-number, so each member is chosen and signed up separately — a 1800 for the promise and a 1300 for the economics is a combination the pricing tables can price out.
Do both members support words?
Yes — same keypad, same six-letter limit on either base. The word component starts from $40 per month whichever member carries it.
The toll family
Choose your toll-family number
Search available 1300 and 1800 Phonewords, or compare the published plans first.