do you know the difference between an 07 telephone number and an 070 telephone number? Or do you know how much it costs you to ring an 0845 telephone number?
No. Me neither. Which makes it quite hard to save money on telephone calls as you don’t know where you need to save.
So…. In one of the longest and most boring posts I may have ever written, I’ve listed the costs involved in dialling all telephone numbers, from both your landline and your mobile. The charges below are all dependent on who your landline and mobile providers are and what sort of packages you’re signed up to but it’s good to refer to as a guide.
01 and 02 numbers These numbers are used for homes and businesses and calls to these numbers are generally included as part of your free minute allowance on your mobile phone contract or as part of any landline packages you might have. Calls from landlines are typically charged between 2p and 10p per minute with calls from mobiles charged between 10p and 40p per minute.
03 numbers Many companies use these numbers as an alternative to the more expensive 08 numbers. They cost the same as the 01 and 02 numbers above and are included in any call packages in the same way.
030 numbers These numbers are designed for none profit organisations, such as the RSPCA and Oxfam. Again, they cost the same as the 01 and 02 numbers above and are included in any call packages in the same way.
07 numbers These are mobile telephone numbers and we all probably use 07 numbers on a frequent basis. Calls to mobile numbers are charged between 5p and 12p per minute from your landline and they’re usually not included in any free call packages. The call charges when you’re dialling a mobile number from a mobile vary quite a bit depending on who your provider is but they usually work out between 8p and 40p a minute. Calls between mobiles are often included in your contract package but rarely in any pay as you go offers that you can get offering any free calls.
070 numbers These numbers are known as ‘personal numbers’. Although it’s not obvious, these are actually very different to mobile telephone numbers and can be much more expensive. Some companies us them to divert numbers from another number which makes it easier for them to manage their calls. They’re also given out as a one off thing, you see them on sites where people are selling something but don’t want to give out a telephone number. The 070 number is used to divert calls to their personal number without sharing this information with strangers. I’m sure I’ve seen this in Autotrader and sites like that. You need to be aware of the costs for the numbers though as they can cost between 5p and 50p per minute when you’re dialling them from your landline and up to a £1.00 a minute from your mobile. A lot of providers also add on a call set up fee of up to 50p on top of this.
0500, 0800 and 0808 numbers These are your free phone numbers and shouldn’t cost you a penny if you are calling them from your landline. They’re not free if you’re ringing from a mobile phone though, you’ll be charged up to 31p a minute for that.
0843, 0844 and 0845 numbers These numbers are usually used by larger business and will cost somewhere between 1p and 13p a minute if you’re calling from your landline but can be between 12p and 41p a minute if you’re using your mobile. These are often the numbers that call centres use so when you’re stuck in a queue, remember how much it’s costing you and see if you can contact them by email or if they have a website you can use. These calls might incur a connection charge aswell from your provider.
0870 numbers These calls can cost up to 10p a minute if your using your landline although some providers now include 0870 numbers as part of their call packages. Calls to 0870 numbers from your mobile will set you back between 12p and 41p a minute.
0871, 0872 and 0873 numbers Calls to these numbers from your landline will cost between 5p and 12.5p per minute with a connection charge on top of this. Calls from your mobile will between 25p and 41p per minute
09 numbers These are known as premium rate numbers and can cost a fortune! You can actually get them blocked so you won’t be able to dial them if you speak to your landline and mobile providers. Calls cost between 10p and £2.60 per minute. From your mobile you’ll pay between 50p and £2.55 per minute or per call if you ring one of these numbers!
I got this information from Ofcom and it’s valid at the moment but if you’re reading this in a few months, you can always go to their website to have a look and see if it’s changed. I can’t see it changing much though.
There’s plenty of ways to use this information to save money – the main one is just being aware of how much the calls are costing you. I have a post for next week about different ways to save money on your telephone bill but I think Ive bored you enough for one day….
