The hidden cost of a telephone number

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I’m starting with these as they are still the most recognisable in the UK, basically if the number you are dialling starts with 01 or 02 then it is classed as a geographic number and you will only ever be charged as such by your telecoms provider, there’s no sneaky way of getting additional charges pushed back onto the caller with these type of calls.

Most providers (landline and mobile) offer packages that have inclusive geographic numbers but if you’re not on such a package then expect to pay up to 13p per minute from a landline and between 3p and 55p from a mobile. It is worth noting that inclusive allowances usually omit calls to landline numbers in the Channel Islands and Isle of Man. You might also be charged a call set-up fee so check the terms and conditions with your telecoms provider if in doubt.

Click here to view a full list of area codes for 01 and 02 numbers

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These numbers are aimed mainly at UK businesses and organisations that wish to have one number that anyone from Aberdeen to Aberystwyth to Ashford can call and be charged no more than a call to a 01 or 02 geographic number. So the Connect telephone number 0330 3333 777 will cost you the same to dial as call to Edinburgh (0131), Manchester (0161), London (020) or any other 01 or 02 number.

As with geographic 01 and 02 numbers, the 03 prefix is frequently included in packages and bundles with x-amount of monthly inclusive minutes.

Numbers starting 03 are all charged at the same rate but are broken into four usage categories:

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As with the above 03 numbers, these are for UK not-for-profit charities and public bodies that wish to have one number nationally. Again, costs should be the same to dial as a 01 or 02 number and they are usually included in packages and bundles with x-amount of inclusive monthly minutes.

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Does pretty much what it says on the tin, 0800 and 0808 numbers are free for the caller as the business or organisation you are calling picks up the tab. 0500 numbers also used to be free to call but this range was withdrawn in June 2017.

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The reason I have not simply put “07” in the description above is that I want to draw your eye to the fact I am not talking about “070” numbers (see the next section titled “Personal numbers”).

Calls to 071 to 075 and 077 to 079 (mobile numbers) vary hugely depending on whether you are calling from a landline or mobile and who your provider is. Again, certainly with mobile packages, you will find that many providers offer inclusive minutes but in general calls can cost anywhere from 10p to 20p from a landline and from 3p all the way up to 55p from a mobile. Most landline providers now offer inclusive calls to UK mobile numbers, at the time of writing, BT is the only large provider to not offer this. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, if in doubt ask your provider.

What about 076 numbers?

076 prefix numbers are not mobile numbers, 076 is used for pagers (does anyone aside from doctors still use pagers?) with one oddity being 07624 which is one of the Isle of Man mobile number ranges. Whilst we are on that geographic subject, please note that where inclusive allowances cover mobile numbers they usually omit mobile numbers in the Channel Islands and Isle of Man.

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OK, this is when we start to see some sneaky charging going on. At first glance a telephone number that starts 070 probably looks like a normal mobile number but wait…..

It’s a premium rate number, if you call a 070 number from a landline it can cost you up to £3.40 per minute! From a mobile the cost can be up to £2.50 per minute. So be warned, 070 numbers are not mobile numbers and personally I’m amazed that OFCOM allow them to exist.

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I’m sure someone at OFCOM will disagree with me vehemently here but I’m grouping 084 and 087 numbers together as basically you could spend half a day working out how much you will be charged to use them. Calls to 0843, 0844, 0845 and 087 numbers are made up of 2 legs/charges:

Back to the first part of the leg, the access charge, I can’t tell you how much this will be as it’s set by each individual provider differently. So BT, 02, SKY, TalkTalk, Virgin Media etc set this part of the leg, as a guide BT currently charge 12p per minute for their access charge so add that to whatever the business you are calling is charging and you might get your final figure- good luck.

087 numbers with a Service Charge of more than 7p per call or per minute are defined as Controlled Premium Rate Services (CPRS) and subject to additional regulation by the Phone-paid Services Authority (PSA).

I see frequent examples of this still happening but usage of 084 and 087 numbers is now banned for post-sales helplines for retailers, traders and passenger transport companies. They are also not allowed for financial services or public services.

All remaining users of 084 and 087 numbers (and 09 and 118 numbers for that matter) are required to state the call charges immediately alongside the number, wherever the number is advertised or promoted.

My preferred option when calling an 084 or 087 number is not to, I go to the website www.saynoto0870.com which has a huge database of alternate numbers some of which are even freephone to get through to the same place.

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Similar to the way that 084 and 087 numbers are broken down into two parts, 09 numbers charging also consist of the access charge and service charge, however, we are now into the land of some serious money-making by the owner(s) of the number you are calling and the charges are far, far higher than that of 084 numbers.

As the cost of calling these numbers is again broken up into 2 parts it’s very hard to tell you what you will be paying but basically, without putting to fine a point on it, lots. The access charge is from your phone company so you could be talking anything from 2p to 13p per minute from landlines or 3p to 55p per minute from mobiles, the real cost is from the service charge though. This can range from anywhere from 1p (I don’t believe anyone has ever charged this low but clearly I’m very cynical!) to £3.60 per minute and you could also be charged a set-up fee of up to £6.00 for each call.

Unlike 084 and 087 numbers, 09 premium rate numbers are regulated by the Phone-paid Services Authority (PSA).

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I’ll be honest, I’d never heard of this prefix before I started researching for this post but the long and short of it is that they are free from anywhere in the European Union.

Click here to read more about them but they are very much social welfare lines such as 116000 which is for missing children and this number can be called for free regardless of where you are in the EU. Other 116 numbers in service in UK are:

While 116 numbers are available throughout the EU, calling one of these numbers connects to the service that runs in the country you are calling from.

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Here we come to the real big money and also the reason how I came about writing this post.

A couple of days ago I was walking back from the school-run with my friend when he pulled out this fun fact about the cost of calling a 118118 number:

“How much do you think a 3 minute call to 118118 where you are transferred through to the business costs?” he asked,

“£9.99” I said, deliberately pitching it high,

“not even close, £18.32” he said quite smugly.

I didn’t believe him, no way could a 3 minute call to directory enquiries cost that much so I did some research and yes, yes he was right – £18.32!

I could go deep into how these numbers are charged but Ben Salisbury wrote an excellent piece for MoneySavingExpert.com which you can read by clicking here. 118 numbers usually have a connection charge which can be up to around £7 and then a charge per minute of around £3.60 but these are not the maximum charges. 118 numbers are regulated by the Phone-paid Services Authority and so long as the charges are clearly advertised then anything goes.

*Disclaimer Alert ! – The material and information contained on this post is for general information purposes only. You should not rely upon the above figures as a basis for making any business, legal or any other decisions. The author makes no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the information, products, services or related graphics contained for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such material is therefore strictly at your own risk.