Aussie Kids Rush To Call Santa As Telstra’s Free Holiday Hotline Returns

Children across the country were up before sunrise this week, eagerly lining up at public phones as Telstra’s beloved Free Calls to Santa hotline officially switched on for 2025.

The festive tradition, now in its fifth year, allows young callers to dial #HOHOHO (#464646) for free from any of Telstra’s 14,000-plus public payphones to share their Christmas wishes directly with Santa at the North Pole. The hotline will remain open daily from 13 November until Christmas Eve.

What began in 2021 as a simple way to teach kids how to use a public phone has quickly grown into one of Australia’s most cherished Christmas rituals. More than 1.5 million calls have been made to Santa since the hotline’s launch, with almost 100,000 children phoning his out-of-office line over the past year alone while waiting for the service to reopen.

This year, pint-sized callers will again be treated to the popular kid-sized Telstra payphones, specially designed to make it easier for younger children to reach the handset. These miniature phones will be available in select Telstra stores in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane right up until Christmas Eve.

Telstra’s call data reveals some quirky trends behind the thousands of kids phoning the North Pole each year. Around 60 per cent of calls come from phones located near beaches and waterfronts, while a quarter originate from city centres and busy shopping precincts. Regional towns also play their part, with one of the most remote calls made from Anmatjere (Pmara Jutjunta), a First Nations community in the Northern Territory.

Meanwhile, Melbourne’s Bourke Street Mall holds the title for the nation’s busiest Santa payphone, logging nearly 10,000 calls to Santa since the program began.

The hotline serves a practical purpose too, helping children learn how to locate and use a public phone, an important life skill in an emergency.

Since Telstra made all standard calls from payphones free in 2021, the use of public phones has tripled nationwide. Last year alone, more than 25 million free calls were made, including over 300,000 to emergency services. Over 4,000 of the payphones also provide free Wi-Fi, with more locations set to follow.

Families can locate their nearest participating phone through Telstra’s Payphone Finder or through Google Maps. All Telstra retail stores will also feature special Santa Phones from 3 December, allowing families to make their call while doing their Christmas shopping.

With thousands of excited children already lining up across Australia, it’s clear that Free Calls to Santa has secured its place as a truly modern Australian Christmas tradition - connecting communities, spreading festive joy, and keeping the magic of the season alive.