Avoid 0870 and premium-rate numbersPutting a stop to 0870

Many of you avoid calling 0845 and 0870 phone numbers

The cost of calling 0870

One thing’s clear from our research: Which? members hate expensive 084, 087 and 09 phone codes. 

It's easy to see why. The cost of calling 0870 phone numbers - which many companies use for their customer service or help lines - has traditionally been much higher than calling standard numbers (01 or 02). 

Phone watchdog Ofcom introduced rules in August 2009 that it hoped would make it harder for mobile phone and home phone operators, such as BT or TalkTalk for example, to charge more for customers to call an 0870 number than they pay to call a geographic phone number. 

You can see how BT and TalkTalk measure up against rival phone and broadband providers for customer satisfaction in the Which? reviews of home phone services or phone, internet and TV packages.

Ofcom and 0870

Ofcom's 0870 rules focus on clarity of pricing by phone operators: 

• charges to call an 0870 number must not be advertised as 'national rate' unless they are no higher than to call a geographic (01 or 02) number
• 0870 calls must be included in call bundles or inclusive minutes unless the phone provider includes a prominent statement in advertising and promotional material making it clear that 0870 calls are not included.

But Ofcom's new rules will not prevent companies that use 0870 for customers to contact them switching to another expensive phone number, such as 0844 or 0871. 

The cost of calling 0844 and 0871 numbers is fixed based on the type of number rather than being set by phone service providers so it is harder for phone companies to include them in 'inclusive minutes'.

Mixed success with 0870 rules

Ofcom has not explicitly banned revenue sharing on 0870, but expressed hopes that its new rules should 'effectively end revenue sharing on 0870 numbers' by limiting the revenue available to share in the first place. 

However, Which? has always expressed concerns that insisting on greater clarity would not necessarily stop phone companies charging more for 0870 phone calls and some home phone providers have completely failed to follow Ofcom guidance. 

0870 heroes 

Some phone operators - including BT - have done as we hoped and now never charge more for 0870 than for 01 and 02 numbers. They've applied the same rules for 0845, too. 

TalkTalk and the Post Office home phone service now include 0845 and 0870 calls in inclusive packages too. However, the Post Office still charges a premium for non-inclusive 0870 calls during the daytime. 

0870 villains

Home phone provider Virgin Media still charges 10p a minute to call 0870 numbers at all times of day.

And calls to 0870 numbers from mobile providers such as O2 and Vodafone are still rarely included in your daily minutes and may still cost more per non-inclusive minute than 01/02 numbers - sometimes up to 40p a minute.

Find out which mobile providers Which? members rated most highly for value for money in the Which? review of the best mobile provider, and if you're in the market for a new mobile handset take a look at the Which? review of mobile phones.

Stop the phone number rip-off

We hope that both phone operators and organisations that haven't already done so adopt the new 0870 rules in the spirit in which they were intended. Unless they do, Which? will continue to highlight bad practice and call for the revenue-sharing phone number rip-off to stop.

We think all organisations should switch their customer service and support phone numbers from expensive phone numbers and use a cheaper alternative such as 01/02, 03 or 0800 instead – or at least as an alternative phone number. 

At Which? we publish our 01 geographic phone number alongside our 0845 number. We don't receive any revenue from the 0845 phone number, but we offer the choice because for some people 0845 is cheaper than a geographic number – see Premium rate and other call costs explained.

Say no to 0870

Resentment of 0844, 0845, 0870 and 0871 costs isn’t unique to Which? members. There’s an entire website devoted to avoiding these phone numbers and cutting call charges. 

Saynoto0870.com not only provides 0870 alternative phone numbers – it also suggests alternative, cheaper phone numbers for companies using other expensive or premium-rate phone numbers such as 0844 or 0845.

Vote with your feet

If you call 0845 or 0870 numbers regularly, the amount a phone company charges could make a big difference to your phone bill. 

If you're not happy with your phone provider's charges, you can simply switch. Take a look at Which? advice on how to choose the best mobile phone tariff and how to choose a home phone service.

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