One of the most annoying features of most mobile cap plans is that they don’t include 1300 or 1800 numbers, which can make calls to customer support lines expensive if you use your mobile. Reader Alex reminds us that you can dodge those calls by hunting down the equivalent standard number, which is often publicised for people calling from overseas.
Picture by Maria LyAs Alex points out, the international number is usually a standard number, which means your costs will often be lower:
Most mobile phone plans (and home phone plans) don’t cover costs to 1300 numbers, meaning you can have all the credit in the world but it’s still going to cost you directly for every call you make to one of those numbers. The painful thing is that usually you call a 1300 number for tech support, and everyone knows you can get stuck on hold for 10+ minutes, all the while you are being billed for it. Solution? Ask for their international number for people who are trying to call them from overseas., if they have one. It’s usually a number like +61 X XXXX XXXX, which means, depending on your plan, you don’t need to pay any extra for calling their “hotline”; it’s a local call. If they don’t have an international number just call their standard office number and they can usually transfer you through to the 1300 number you were supposed to call anyway, again, for the cost of a local call.
You can usually find the number with a little online searching, though if you want a lazy option the 13Save app for iPhone can also be useful. Thanks Alex!
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