Children everywhere are getting ready to share their Christmas wish list with Santa and this year all they need to do is look for a Telstra payphone with Christmas decals.
Telstra has officially switched on Australia’s direct line to the North Pole and is inviting all Aussie kids to visit their nearest payphone ahead of Christmas to call Santa for free with this year’s wish list.
Nearly 2,000 of Telstra’s 14,500 payphones, including those around the Central Coast, have decorative decals on them to show that Santa can be called.
Until Christmas Eve, December 24, kids can dial # HO HO HO from any Telstra payphone and speak directly with Santa.
Last year there were more than 11,000 calls made from Telstra payphones to the North Pole on Christmas Eve alone.
To add an extra dose of holiday magic, Aussie kids will be able to do more than just talk to Santa about their Christmas lists.
The free calls to Santa hotline is more interactive this year, allowing kids young and old to have more engaging conversations with the jolly man in red, from asking about the weather at the North Pole, to what the reindeer like to snack on before their big Christmas Eve adventure.
For those looking to skip the crowds in shopping centres, Telstra payphones offer a stress-free, convenient, and cost-free alternative to get a call in to Santa.
Telstra made all standard national and mobile calls from payphones free in August 2021.
Since then, usage has more than doubled.
In the 12 months to June 2023, more than 23 million free payphone calls have been made, including more than 250,000 calls to Triple Zero and other emergency services.