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Free Calls to Santa from Telstra Payphones @ Telstra

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Free calls to Santa from 15 November to 24 December from Telstra Payphones.

Dial #464646 (#HOHOHO) to speak with Santa!

Enjoy!

Payphone locator is here.

Telstra donates $1 for each call made to the Salvation Army, so use it!
EDIT: Telstra no longer donating, boo! Not sure if you can still speak with an Elf or Mrs Claus.

Some interesting facts: https://goughlui.com/2022/12/12/event-analysis-free-calls-to…

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    • +10

      I'm pretty sure Santa is real, since he's everywhere in December!

      • -5

        We will know soon enough. I'm in Victoria. December is 1 hour 14 minutes away..

        • +7

          As I say to my kids: “if you do not believe, you do not recieve”

      • +5

        He also discriminates. Germans and some other Europeans get their presents a day early and then he makes the Russians wait an extra 2 week.

        • +4

          Please do not confuse Santa with Grandfather Frost!

          • +1

            @Loki556: Thanks for the jolt - Wikipedia finished the job. I think I know someone / something familiar but really have no idea. (Probably true for lots of things). Can't wait to tell all my (assumedly just as ignorant) buddies after a few drinks when we do "woggy Christmas" in a few weeks.

        • +11

          Funny how we laugh at some other cultures religious beliefs… But here we are with a fat break and enter specialist and flying animals.. Not forgetting our Rabbits that lay eggs in April..that happened to be edible chocolate.

          • -1

            @tunzafun001: The difference is we don't expect adults to believe it ;)

            • @glide: In which culture do you think adults believe in fairytales?

              • +6

                @mrau: I aint touching that with a 1000 ft pole!

                But I will say most conflict starts with a basis over who has the better imaginary friend/s.

              • +1

                @mrau: Any that have religion as part of the culture.

                • @NobalaKoba: That's simply not true. Adults in my culture do not believe in fairy tales, they just pretend Santa is real fur the kids when they're little.

                  • @mrau: What about the sky fairy from the fairy tales?

              • @mrau: Right here in OZ , just turn on the news !

            • @glide: No, we bait and switch in religion. Condition the fairy tale in, then bam. Sucky Santa on the cross.

        • +1

          Seems to be not very fond of poor children either.

    • Sounds made up to me

    • Party pooper.

    • Try calling the number, it's free after all

    • You must be fun at parties

      • I am. Parties I go to, punters can handle a joke. 😂🤣

    • Greek Christian bishop, 4th century.

    • I still get presents from Santa, maybe you're on the naughty list 🤔

      • Sounds like you've met my wife.

  • That explains why the payphone near me says to call Santa from there.

  • +1

    Wait What 'Our payphones are free for all calls within Australia to standard fixed line numbers and calls to standard Australian mobiles all year round'

    Well I never knew that!!!

    • +2

      It has been around for sometime. What interesting is they (at least the ones in Sydney) are having the 04 prefix, not 02. When my kids used them to call me, I thought they were spam calls thus didn't answer

      • +2

        Interesting. I wonder if this means they use the mobile technology (eg. a simple as a SIM card inside the payphone) and not on the copper landline anymore.

        • What copper landline? :)

        • +2

          Probably. I think since NBN tookover, there are no more traditional PSTN phones. So it's either VoIP or mobile. It makes sense, if they need an internet connection to get a phone signal, might as well provide internet as well - hence the free WiFi. I would imagine for some locations it would be mobile based.

    • +2

      Also free to text and request a callback, etc

    • +5

      Telstra makes a tidy profit by keeping payphones going, thanks to the government paying them a ever increasing amount. your tax payer money at the end of the day (source:used to work at Telstra)

    • +1

      Probably because collecting/protecting the coins in the machine wasn't worth the effort anymore. Everyone has a phone in their pocket and even the cheapest plans have unlimited calls and texts.

  • +6

    I would love to do this just for the donation of $1 to the Salvation army. But those payphones are the most disgusting thing I have ever seen. Do they even clean them?

    • +18

      To obtain a special dialling wand, please mash the keypad with your palm

      • +13

        The fingers you have used to dial are too fat.

        • +1

          a gift basket of poison is on its way!

      • +1

        Wheres my Tab?

        • +1

          All this computer hacking is making me thirsty, I think I'll order a TAB.

    • +2

      They were disgusting, even before COVID.

    • +1

      They are just billboards dressed up as free "payphones" for Telstra to keep their advertising business and wifi on the streets.
      They even tried to increase the size of them in Sydney last year for bigger billboards but got knocked back by the city of Sydney.

    • Salvation Army is a church, not a charity, innit? They do charity of course, but they are beholden to their church structure rather than a registered charity structure.

  • +15

    Press 4: Regicide
    "You have selected REGICIDE. If you know the name of the king or queen being murdered, press ONE"

  • +2

    The link/article your shared is from last year, so donation may not apply.

    But the number is still valid and Santa should be available to have a chat ;)

    Link from Nov 2023: https://www.telstra.com.au/exchange/hello-christmas

  • +1

    does it just ring dirty old men in prison. wouldn't suprise me.

    • +12

      No, the board members of Telstra aren't in prison.

      • well they should be hahahah have you seen their NBN prices.. hahaha

      • +1

        Yet

    • I hope so.

  • -1

    Do Telstra payphones still exist? Don't recall seeing any except in the CBD for a long time.

    • +3
    • +2

      Quite a few. One in my local shopping centre and one across the street. The easy way to find out is by checking available wifi named Telstra something, so I know there's one nearby

      • +1

        ooh clever tip

  • +1

    Imagine 1k people make calls to Santa at the same time

    • +1

      AI should be able to handle more than that. Telstra has partnership with Microsoft (OpenAI).

      • +3

        Ohh no Sata being manipulated!

  • I am keen to speak to AI Santa this year :)

    • +1

      Kids today, or kids tomorrow, have it so good. Technology is becoming indistinguishable to magic.

      • Indeed. If you have seen demos of voice AI sales agents, they are pretty impressive.

  • I feel bad for that one bloke getting bombarded with calls 🤣

    • -2

      Only a matter of time Santa being a ‘bloke’ is protested and non binary Mr and Mrs Claus

  • bombarded, how?
    How the heck can you find these phone booths lol

  • +2

    anyone know how does it work? or who the kids will be speaking to? a computer? or someone from a call centre?

  • +3

    Dyslexic callers reach Satan instead

  • +2

    “Hi Santa… what are you wearing?”

    • "My, my. Aren't you a little ho ho ho."

  • Just tried from my mobile…Mrs Clause answers

    • +2

      Seems like the North Pole is not free on Boost - I just tried it :(

      • +2

        Yep me too. Unable to connect international calls. I had a look at the regions I'm able to free call under the plan and North Pole wasn't on there though.

  • All calls from Telstra payphones are free. This isn't a bargain.

    • +2

      It is a bargain. It's not a supported international destination on Boost. But it's free from a Telstra payphone.

    • +3

      This is an international call though. You don’t think Santa lives in Darwin, do you?!

  • +3

    And get Gonorrhea for free as well :)

    • You’re not meant to put the hand piece down there.

      • +1

        Oh I'm sure plenty do! LoL

      • +1

        You can get the clap in your throat too.

        • Probs don’t lick it either 😆

  • Anyone done this? Is it an automated voice? Want to do it with the kids but not sure what they will make of it.

  • +3

    It's a recording that pauses for your child to say something back.

    Ie "what's your name" pause… "oh yes I thought it was you"

    • +3

      So you are saying that I’m not really calling Santa?

    • +1

      A bit like Lenny then, but for kids rather than telemarketers?

      • NOT LENNY!

  • +3

    Would you even allow a child to touch those filthy public telephones? Since they made them free and no periodic coin collectors/maintenance, they've become public urinals

    • They were always public urinals

    • Can you call mobiles on them for free?

  • +3

    Meanwhile at Optus…

    • +3

      … you can make free calls to Satan.

  • +1

    Whats a payphone?

    • +1

      Freephone, really.

      • Not really. You still need to pay for international calls.

  • +1

    Thanks Albo
    Is Comrade Bill still having the same surname? Asking for a friend.

  • +1

    Fun way to get the PayPal scammers occupied for the month

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