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Free

Did you know that you shouldn’t be charged for calls to telephone numbers that start with 0300?

That is the same no matter where you are calling from in the UK or whether you are calling from a landline or a mobile phone.

From 1 July 2015 there is a mandatory requirement for mobile and landline providers to treat numbers that begin with 0300 in exactly the same was as they treat telephone numbers that start with either an 01 or an 02, so although 0300 numbers are not geographical numbers  they are charged ( or not charged) at the same rate.

Generally, if you have any inclusive minutes within your mobile or landline package that covers ‘local’* calls then these will be used when you use an 03 telephone number and wont attract any additional costs.

*local rate was actually abolished years ago, but companies like to still use the terms as people understand it

Given that inclusive ‘local rate’ packages are so widely available many large charities and Government Departments / services have adopted 0300 numbers as their preferred method of contact so before making a call to a number that starts with 08 ( that may incur a charge and not be within your inclusive minutes allowance) be sure to check if the organization also has a local rate option that you can use


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Are

We are often asked if calls to telephone numbers that start 0300 are free, the short answer is YES! all calls to 0300 telephone numbers from either a landline or a mobile are free to make and this is true no matter how long you plan on being on the phone or whoever you are calling as slong as they are using an 0300 number for their customer service or enquiry number.

0300 numbers are always free from mobiles and landlines alike

 


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About
The 0300 costs information on this site is updated on a weekly basis, however we do seek user input when services their calling plans before we have updated, so if you do notice a change in the 0300 call costs of any of the major networks please drop us a line in the comments including a reference link so that we can check and update the information that we share.

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Make sure you have the right call plan

The key when calling a number beginning 0300 is to ensure that you are on the correct calling plan in the first place

If you have inclusive calls to 01 and 02 numbers, this will also cover calls to 03 numbers.

If you are paying a per-minute rate for calls to 01, 02 and 03 numbers you’re probably on the wrong call plan.

Most people make calls to 01, 02 and 03 numbers as part of an inclusive allowance. Outside of that allowance, landline providers charge up to 12p per minute, e.g. weekday calls made when only a “weekend” plan is in force. Mobile providers charge up to 45p per minute, e.g. exceeding a contract’s monthly call allowance or pay-as-you-go without a call bundle.

It only takes about 45 to 60 minutes of calls per month on a landline with a “weekend” deal for the “anytime” deal to work out cheaper.

It only takes about 10 to 20 minutes of calls per month on a mobile paying a per-minute rate for the next contact up in size (e.g. almost double the minute for less than a fiver extra) or a pay-as-you-go call bundle (e.g. 100 minutes for £5)  to work out cheaper.

 

This site is being updated to make it absolutly clear that calls to NEVER actually free. However in practice you will NOT BE CHARGED ANYTHING FOR MAKING THESE CALLS

 

Wilst you may not pay any additional charges to call 0300 numbers from a mobile as long as you have inclusive minutes- this does not translate to the actual call being ‘free’ as all 0300 numbers are chargable.

 

If you have any questions or queries please note them below and we will find out the answer and get back to you ASAP with a reference to the answer.

It has been pointed out that saying that te calls are ‘free’ is incorrect as their is technically a charge for calling a telephone number that begins with 0300. But all telephony providers allow you to call 0300 numbers from your plans allowance meaning that you do not have to actualy pay anything extra when making the call as they will be treated as being geographical numbers and as such will come out of your minutes.


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Switch from 0800 to 0300 | What it means

To ave on calls all you have to do is replace 0800 with 0300 at the start of a Telephone Number before calling

BIS Regulation amendments dictate that traders, retailers and public transport companies have to adopt an 01, 02, 03 or 080 number for their customer scontact lines. Governmental offices have also been smandated by new Cabinet Office Guidance. The latest FCA regulations will shortly do the same for companies opperating in the financial sector.

The bottom line of this is that you can generally replace the shart of an 0800 number with 0300 to ensure that the call will not attract charges and will be taken from your inclusive minutes allowance

For example The Department for Work and Pensions who had previously used  before making the switch to  during 2014

 

A timeline of

Ofcom published regulations on 12 December 2013 requiring all users of 084, 087 and 09 numbers to declare the Service Charge everywhere their number is advertised. The new rules came into force on 1 July 2015. Those who cannot justify the Service Charge must change their number to stop imposing it. Ofcom made matching 034 and 037 numbers available in 2007 for users of 084 and 087 numbers to migrate. Many are now taking that option. This mainly affects sales and enquiry lines.

Published by BIS on 13 December 2013, Regulation 41 of the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 requires retailers, traders and passenger transport companies to use 01, 02, 03 or 080 numbers for post sales helplines. The new rules came into force on 13 June 2014. Where an organisation hasn’t complied, Regulation 41(2) gives the right to a refund of all call costs over and above whatever an equivalent call to an 01, 02 or 03 number would have cost.

The Cabinet Office published guidance for central governmwnt departments, their agencies and other bodiesbacross the wider public sector landscape on 26 December 2013. This suggested they stop using 084 and 087 numbers and instead used 01, 02, 03 or 080 numbers. Most departments have complied by switching to 0300 or 0345 numbers. This includes HMRC, DWP, and most local authorities.

The FCA has recently published similar regulation for the financial sector. From 26 October 2015 banks and insurance companies must provide numbers starting 01, 02, 03 or 080 for customer.contact. This spells the end of usage of expensive 084, 087 and 09 numbers.

 

 


delight-mobile-0300-numbers

Is it free to call Delight Mobile?

Calling 0300 on Delight Mobile

Yes, it is free to call 0300 from Delight  
With the latest changes to UK Call costs and charges Delight have confirmed that they will treat 0300 numbers in the same way as they treat telephone numbers that begin with an 01 or an 02 in that they will be charged as being geographical calls and this means that if your are on contract or Delight Pay As You Go calls to within you inclusive price plan and as long as you have inclusive minutes left you wont rack up any additional charges.
Read More at the Delight Mobile Website


cmobile-0300-numbers

Is it free to call cMobile?

Calling 0300 on cMobile Mobile

Yes, it is free to call 0300 from cMobile 
With the latest changes to UK Call costs and charges cMobile have confirmed that they will treat 0300 numbers in the same way as they treat telephone numbers that begin with an 01 or an 02 in that they will be charged as being geographical calls and this means that if your are on contract or cMobile Pay As You Go calls to within you inclusive price plan and as long as you have inclusive minutes left you wont rack up any additional charges.
Read More at the cMobile Website


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Is it free to call Allpay Mobile?

Calling 0300 on Allpay Mobile

Yes, it is free to call 0300 from Allpay 
With the latest changes to UK Call costs and charges Allpay have confirmed that they will treat 0300 numbers in the same way as they treat telephone numbers that begin with an 01 or an 02 in that they will be charged as being geographical calls and this means that if your are on contract or AllpayPay As You Go calls to within you inclusive price plan and as long as you have inclusive minutes left you wont rack up any additional charges.

Read More at the Allpay Mobile Website


| Chargeable

Whilst all Mobile Phone Service Providers treat the same way as they treat Telephone Numbers that begin with 01 or 02 and allow you to call these numbers within your inclusive minutes allowance they are not free to call from Mobiles, meaning that if you have used your bundled allowance for the month calls to 0345 will become chargabe.

Whilst calls to Mobiles will be chargable at local rates, these charges do sometims differ between providors. Below you will find an up-to-date list of the rates that mobile phone companies charge for out of plan calls to telephone numbers that begin with 0345.


Mobile Network Price Per Minute
3 (three) 3p per minute
Allpay Mobile 15p per minute
ASDA Mobile 8p per minute
C Mobile 14p per minute
Delight Mobile 3p per minute
Econet 10p Per Minute
Freedomtalk 8p per minute
iCard Mobile 8p per minute
Lomo Mobile 10p per minute
LycaMobile 15p per minute
OVIVO Mobile 8p Per Minute
Sainsbury’s 8p per minute
Smart Pinoy 10p per minute
TalkMobile Essentials 8p per minute
Talkxtra 7p per minute
Tello 3p Per Minute
Tesco Lite 8p per minute
The People’s Operator 12.5p per minute
T-Mobile 30p per minute
Tru 36p per minute
Victory Mobile 4p Per Minute
Virgin Mobile Simply 8p per minute
Vodafone 30p per minute
AfriMobile 10p per minute
Banana Mobile 14p Per Minute
Dialog Vizz 9p per minute
DiDa Mobile 10p per minute
Donate Mobile 20p per minute
EE 30p per minute
Family Mobile 8p per minute
Giffgaff 10p per minute
GT Mobile 3p per minute
Kontakt Mobile 9p per minute
Lebara Mobile 19p per minute
Now Mobile 10p per minute
O2 35p per minute
Orange 35p per minute
RSPCA Mobile 14p per minute
Simple Call Mobile 4p per minute
Talk Home Mobile 10p per minute
TalkMobile Rewards 25p per minute
Tesco Mobile 25p per minute
The Co-operative Mobile 8p per minute
Vectone 15p per minute
Virgin Mobile 26p per minute
White Mobile 6p per minute
Wildlife Mobile 18p per minute