• long running

Free Local, National & Mobile Calls, SMS, and Wi-Fi @ Telstra Public Payphones

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Free Local, National & Mobile Calls, SMS, and Wi-Fi @ Telstra Public Payphones
Go to Deal
CandyMan on 25/03/2026 - 19:34 telstra.com.au (475 clicks)
Last edited 25/03/2026 - 20:02 by 2 other users

May come in handy to someone for some reason, to make a confidential call, or maybe you just want to be a Nigerian Prince for a day without being caught. Also every booth has a mobile number listed to receive calls as well.

Around 14,000 locations across Australia
Free national calls to anyone, anywhere in Australia. Over 3,000 Hotspots to access free and unlimited Wi-Fi data.

Why? Because Australia…

Past discussions
Free Phone calls (6 hour limit) on Telstra payphones
https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/642101

Free WiFi Hot Spot at selected (3000) Telstra payphones
https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/720941

Other Payphone SMS Telephone Call Telstra Wi-Fi

Related Stores

Telstra
Telstra

Comments

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Search through all the comments in this post.
  • Blokeinhisundies on 25/03/2026 - 19:39
    +44

    Payphones have been free to use since 2021.

    Why? Because it cost more to collect the money from them than they took in and they are legally mandated to keep them. Telstra aren't doing it cause they just love Aussies.

    • CandyMan on 25/03/2026 - 19:40
      +6

      Aaah, that explains the three dots

    • sween64 on 25/03/2026 - 20:39

      Also free billboards everywhere. Would also cost them money to decommission.

      • financialminimalism on 26/03/2026 - 00:35
        +6

        To be clear - they can't decommission them - they are a government requirement under the USO. Optus, Telstra and TPG have to by law pay to have them around the country, but Telstra (the operator of them) decided it wasn't worth collecting the money, so they stopped doing that to reduce the ongoing cost of having to provide them.

        • The Hawk on 26/03/2026 - 12:19
          +1

          and I suspect a tax write down on the cost of providing the service.

      • JIMB0 on 26/03/2026 - 09:24
        +3

        In Melbourne City they installed more payphones just for the revenue from the billboards. There was a loophole where council didn't have to approve it.

    • AustriaBargain on 25/03/2026 - 20:45
      +19

      Will never forgive the Liberals or Howard for selling Telstra. And for screwing the NBN too. I guess my forgiveness is kind of irrelevant, with Liberals now being a minor party.

      • Raj09 on 25/03/2026 - 20:49
        +10

        They fcked up the NBN so much. Is that incompetence or sheer corruption? We have a sham of internet which is not even competitive.

      • arcticmonkey on 25/03/2026 - 21:46
        +11

        Typical Liberal scum. Howard was a menace to this country.

        • Lastchancetosee on 26/03/2026 - 09:51
          +1

          Actually the NBN fiasco was Turnbull's doing.

      • wetsandwich on 25/03/2026 - 22:52
        +1

        To be fair, the share price never recovered since the float, so they actually sold it at the peak.

      • donman92 on 25/03/2026 - 23:18
        +3

        I'm a strong believer that the LNP purposely botched up the NBN for two main reasons: Backdoor deals with their mining cronies for copper and Rupert Murdoch forcing us to keep paying for Foxtel coz the internet was too slow for streaming.

        • PlagueistheCheap on 25/03/2026 - 23:22
          +2

          Hard to take seriously anyone who uses “coz”

        • Ezekiel2320 on 26/03/2026 - 07:15
          +5

          It's no secret. They specifically said that fast broadband was a threat to their Foxtel model:

          In a 78-page filing to the US Securities and Exchange Commission in June 2013, the media conglomerate warned of “risk factors” to its businesses, including its newspapers and Foxtel pay TV.

          “Due to innovations in content distribution platforms, consumers are now more readily able to watch internet-delivered content on television sets and mobile devices, in some cases also without charge,” News Corp said in the filing, which is listed online. (http://investors.newscorp.com/node/6401/html)

          The innovations “could reduce consumer demand for our television programming and PAY-TV services and adversely affect both our subscription revenue and advertisers’ willingness to purchase television advertising from us”.

          https://www.thenewdaily.com.au/news/national/2019/01/10/rupe…

          Never forgive, never forget

      • DannyBoy on 26/03/2026 - 07:58
        -6

        Wasn't NBN rolled out by the ALP though? That was one of big Kev's main campaign points

        • Shenannigoat on 26/03/2026 - 20:01
          +2

          Initiated under Labor and continued through Coalition who changed the parameters of the rollout as it went on.

    • dongltron on 26/03/2026 - 02:20

      I’ll never understand those who insist on making every positive thing some miserable trick with an ulterior motive.

      Sure, what you said may be true, but is it so hard to just be like… oh, cool, that’s a positive thing.

      just a thought.

      • R4 on 26/03/2026 - 02:24

        Agree. There's some real miserable a-holes on here - and there's also whiny East Coast lefties too

        • dongltron on 26/03/2026 - 03:13

          speaking of miserable a-holes…

    • U30004 on 26/03/2026 - 06:36

      Aussies dont love Aussies??

  • Doesnotcompute on 25/03/2026 - 19:39
    +2

    There was once a documentary about someone who answered a public phone… no thanks

    • mkh1991 on 25/03/2026 - 19:54
      +1

      You've entered the Matrix!!!

    • JIMB0 on 25/03/2026 - 19:59
      +3

      Was his life on the line?

      • 5kbjvb3o on 25/03/2026 - 20:24
        +9

        No it was his wife on the line.

    • AustriaBargain on 25/03/2026 - 22:01

      Die Hard 3: Die Harder.

    • Limbot on 26/03/2026 - 01:57

      Stuck on a bus and couldn't go under 50?

  • ego22 on 25/03/2026 - 19:43

    What's the wifi range around a public phone?

    • CandyMan on 25/03/2026 - 19:48

      acc to google AI:

      Telstra public Wi-Fi hotspots, generally found at payphones and selected retail sites, offer a range of approximately 30 to 50 metres. Users usually need to be in close proximity to the payphone booth to receive a strong signal.

    • bcYield on 25/03/2026 - 21:24
      +2

      About or worse than your home router

    • BoltThrower on 25/03/2026 - 23:06
      +1

      About the same as the WiFi Pineapple impersonating it.

  • scrimshaw on 25/03/2026 - 19:43
    +1

    Og deal post back in 2021

    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/642101

    • CandyMan on 25/03/2026 - 19:45

      thanks. I knew there was a previous post but couldn’t find it.

      • jv on 25/03/2026 - 19:59
        -4

        Username does not check out………………

        • CandyMan on 25/03/2026 - 20:03

          Off course not

          • jv on 25/03/2026 - 20:04
            -1

            @CandyMan: So you are an imposter !!

  • jv on 25/03/2026 - 19:59
    -1

    Also every booth has a mobile number listed to receive calls as well.

    What about SMS ?

    • CandyMan on 25/03/2026 - 20:02

      Yes, it’s your lucky day. You can send free standard national SMS from more than 15,000 Telstra public payphones across Australia. This service has been free since August 2021.

      • jv on 25/03/2026 - 20:03

        What about receiving them?

        • CandyMan on 25/03/2026 - 20:04

          Negative

        • AustriaBargain on 25/03/2026 - 22:03

          There is an SMS relay service, where you text a number, including your message and the number you want to send it to, and someone will call that number and read out the message.

          • jv on 25/03/2026 - 22:06

            @AustriaBargain: It was more for creating new Kayo accounts.

            They each need a new mobile number.

            Although having to run to the phone box to receive the authorisation code each time you log into a new device may be a tad inconvenient.

            • st1ng on 27/03/2026 - 16:09

              @jv: Once signed up, you can use an e-mail address and password to login into a Hubbl service (Kayo or Binge).

              • jv on 27/03/2026 - 16:32

                @st1ng: To log in to your account to make changes requires entering a code sent via SMS

                • Borg on 27/03/2026 - 17:51

                  @jv: No it doesn't. You can choose alternate method and select to send to email instead. Try it.

                  • jv on 27/03/2026 - 17:58

                    @Borg: Mine doesn't. I had to call them to change the phone number.

  • countmein on 25/03/2026 - 20:19
    +2

    Kiddos had been using it when walking home from school

    • Raj09 on 25/03/2026 - 20:50

      That's a good use for them.

  • mooodeng on 25/03/2026 - 20:49
    +2

    I live next door to one, can I cancel my nbn? Are there any usage limits

    • Borg on 25/03/2026 - 21:13
      +1

      Connect and let us know as time goes by how long you remain connected, 1 day, 1 week, 1 month etc. Perhaps use a VPN to switch IPs on occasion so as not to stand out? ALSO, disconnect when not using eg overnight.

    • AustriaBargain on 25/03/2026 - 22:04
      +3

      See if you can tap into the power supplied to the box too.

      • wetsandwich on 25/03/2026 - 22:53

        Maybe grow some plants using that power?

      • ravip on 26/03/2026 - 08:12
        +4

        Reminds of that guy that cooked nightly on the park electric bbq..

    • USER DC on 25/03/2026 - 22:56
      +1

      Good idea. Use a good android phone, connect to wifi, randomise your mac, IP, then hotspot this wifi connection to your home, reconnect the same phone to it every day or so.

      and ofc use some VPN with it too. NBN is crap value anyway for low speed plans at least.

    • QuickToThePointless on 26/03/2026 - 02:35
      +3

      just downsize and move in permanantly to your new tiny home and be done with it

  • sween64 on 25/03/2026 - 20:59
    +2

    Does the 6 hour call limit still apply?

    • Churna on 26/03/2026 - 01:08

      gosh i hope so

    • sanmigueelbeer on 26/03/2026 - 10:50

      Does the 6 hour call limit still apply?

      Asking for a friend?

  • vanyellow on 25/03/2026 - 21:16
    +5

    i get my kids to call their grandparent from these when we are on holidays

    • DatCrazyNerf on 26/03/2026 - 10:05
      +1

      I get to listen to junkies and drunk people use (scream into) these right outside my window regularly, yay.

      • Koffee on 26/03/2026 - 11:27

        Do you have free wifi at home, though?

        • DatCrazyNerf on 26/03/2026 - 16:24
          -1

          I just tried. No wifi in this one. Can't even save $80 a month to offset the junkies.

          • Borg on 26/03/2026 - 17:05
            +1

            @DatCrazyNerf: It will be obvious which ones have Wifi as the top has big WiFi logo as seen here

            • DatCrazyNerf on 26/03/2026 - 17:07
              +1

              @Borg: Bless you for thinking I actually went out to look with my eyes. I searched nearby wifi on my phone whilst laying in bed. And now because of your comment I will NEVER look at that phone box again. Even if there's a junkie there. You can't make me.

  • In Cauda Venenum on 26/03/2026 - 15:00

    Trust free open public networks like this. Absolutely nothing suss is going on with them :)

    • Borg on 26/03/2026 - 18:32
      +1

      Turn on VPN as like with connecting to any Public Wifi.

      • In Cauda Venenum on 31/03/2026 - 14:28

        Which will be banned soon because they hurt the precious feelings of the e-safety communist, er I mean commissioner.

        • Borg on 31/03/2026 - 16:00

          Exactly how is it possible to "ban" VPN?

          • In Cauda Venenum on 31/03/2026 - 21:32

            @Borg: That's too pragmatic a question for the government. They don't care or know how its done, or even understand how the internet works. They just know they'll do it and a whole plethora of stammering idiots will vote for them because they're seen to be doing "something" regardless of reality.

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