Children across Australia can call Santa Claus for free from more than 14,000 Telstra payphones in a festive offer that has attracted almost 2.5 million calls since it began.
The service, which runs from November 11 until Christmas Eve, allows children to dial the North Pole and chat with Santa about what they would like for Christmas.
Telstra first introduced the initiative in 2021 as a “simple way to bring some Christmas cheer” to Australian children, with calls lasting an average of six minutes.
The offer also supports Kids Helpline, with Telstra donating $1 to the charity for every call made until November 17.
The service has delighted families in previous years, with some parents sharing their surprise at discovering it was available.
“Why has no one ever told me about this?” Celina McMahon said on social media with a video of her son heading to a phone booth.
“You can do that?” one person questioned.
“What!!! I’ll be doing this with the girls this year, thanks,” another said in excitement.
For the first time, Telstra has also introduced a family-sized payphone at Melbourne’s Queen Victoria Market, allowing several children to listen to Santa’s replies through a speaker.
The initiative comes as Telstra found 43 per cent of parents struggle to keep children patient while waiting to meet or call Santa.
Almost one in three (29 per cent) said making sure every child gets a fair turn was difficult, while 37 per cent admitted to telling their kids the classic reminder that Santa is watching.
Families can find their nearest participating payphone through Telstra’s online Payphone Finder or Google Maps.
To call Santa, children simply need to dial #HO HO HO (#46 46 46) to be connected to the North Pole.
Image: Douglas Cliff / Shutterstock.com
