- Since 1 July 2015, Ofcom rules have required calls to 0800 and 0808 freephone numbers to be free from mobiles as well as landlines.
- Both 0800 and 0808 are freephone ranges: the called organisation pays for the call, not the caller.
- The 0808 range was opened by Ofcom to provide additional freephone capacity once 0800 numbers began to run short.
- Freephone calls are generally free only when dialled from within the UK; calls from abroad are not covered by the UK free-calling rule.
- Ofcom requires freephone numbers advertised to consumers to be clearly described as free, with no hidden access or connection charges.
Calls to 0800 and 0808 numbers are free to the caller from UK landlines and mobiles, because the organisation being called pays. Calling from abroad is usually not free.
Last reviewed: June 2026
What makes a number freephone
The whole point of a freephone number is that the cost of the call is borne by the organisation receiving it rather than the person making it. In the UK, that arrangement applies to two ranges: 0800 and 0808. A caller dialling either range from a UK phone is not billed for the call. The receiving business has an arrangement with a telecoms provider under which it pays an inbound call charge, which is why freephone numbers are a deliberate business expense rather than a convenience that costs nothing.
Freephone numbers are non-geographic, meaning they are not tied to any particular town. The 0800 range is the original and most recognised freephone prefix. As demand grew and the supply of available 0800 numbers tightened, Ofcom opened the 0808 range to provide additional freephone capacity. Functionally the two ranges behave the same way for callers. A handful of specific 0808 sub-ranges, such as those used by certain support and helpline services, are reserved for particular purposes, but the free-to-caller principle is identical.
The 2015 rule change that made freephone genuinely free
For many years there was a gap in how freephone numbers worked. Calls from landlines were free, but several mobile networks charged callers to dial 0800 and 0808 numbers, sometimes at significant per-minute rates. This caused widespread confusion, because the public reasonably assumed a freephone number meant free from any phone. Ofcom addressed this as part of its wider reform of non-geographic call charging.
From 1 July 2015, Ofcom rules required calls to 0800 and 0808 freephone numbers to be free from mobile phones as well as from landlines. Since that date, a UK mobile caller dialling a freephone number should not be charged for the call. This was part of the same package of changes that introduced the unbundled tariff for 084, 087 and 09 numbers, where the cost is split into an Access Charge and a Service Charge. Freephone numbers were taken out of that paid model entirely and made genuinely free across all UK consumer phone services.
0800 and 0808 rules and coverage compared
The table below sets out how the two freephone ranges compare on the points that matter most to callers and to the organisations that hold the numbers.
| Feature | 0800 numbers | 0808 numbers |
|---|---|---|
| Freephone to caller | Yes | Yes |
| Free from UK mobiles | Yes, since 1 July 2015 | Yes, since 1 July 2015 |
| Who pays for the call | Called organisation | Called organisation |
| Free when calling from abroad | Generally no | Generally no |
| Reason range exists | Original freephone range | Added for extra capacity |
Calling a freephone number from abroad
The free-calling guarantee for 0800 and 0808 numbers is a UK arrangement. It applies to calls made from UK phone services within the regulatory reach of Ofcom. It does not automatically follow a caller overseas. Someone dialling a UK 0800 number from a foreign network, or from a UK mobile while roaming abroad, may find the call is charged at international or roaming rates, or in some cases will not connect at all.
This is why many organisations that expect international callers, such as banks dealing with customers travelling overseas, publish a separate ordinary geographic number alongside their freephone line. That geographic number can be dialled from abroad in the usual way, with the caller paying their own international rate. The practical point for travellers is simple: a UK freephone number cannot be relied on to be free, or even reachable, once you are outside the UK, so it is worth carrying an alternative contact number.
Who can use freephone numbers and how advertising is regulated
Freephone numbers are widely used by businesses, charities and public services that want to remove any cost barrier to people getting in touch. Sales lines, customer support, helplines and emergency-adjacent services all commonly use 0800 or 0808 numbers. Because the calls are free to the public, freephone numbers are particularly associated with services where the organisation actively wants people to call, such as support helplines and customer acquisition lines.
Ofcom sets rules on how these numbers are described to consumers. Where a freephone number is advertised to the public, it must be presented honestly as free, and callers should not face hidden access or connection charges that undermine that promise. This consumer-protection principle sits alongside the wider transparency rules Ofcom applies to non-geographic numbers, which require call costs to be made clear at the point a number is advertised. The combined effect is that a number described as freephone should genuinely be free to dial from a UK phone, with no asterisked surprises.
How a business pays for its freephone number
From the organisation's side, a freephone number is a service bought from a telecoms provider. The provider charges the organisation an inbound fee for calls received, typically structured as a per-minute or per-call rate that varies depending on whether the caller used a landline or a mobile. Because mobile-originated freephone calls have been free to callers since 2015, the cost of those calls is recovered from the receiving organisation, which usually means mobile-originated freephone calls are charged to the business at a higher rate than landline-originated ones.
This cost structure explains why freephone is a deliberate choice rather than a default. A business takes on the call cost in exchange for removing any reason for a customer to hesitate before calling. Organisations that do not want to bear that expense often choose an 03 number instead, which costs the caller the same as a normal landline call and counts towards inclusive minutes, while costing the business far less than a freephone line. The decision comes down to whether the organisation values a genuinely free-to-caller number enough to pay for every call it receives.
Spotting genuine freephone in advertising
For consumers, the practical value of the freephone rules lies in being able to trust that a number described as free really is free to dial from a UK phone. The two prefixes to recognise are 0800 and 0808. Any number outside these ranges, however it is marketed, is not a freephone number under the UK rules, and 084 or 087 numbers in particular carry a Service Charge that the caller pays. A clear way to test a claim is to check the prefix itself rather than relying on words such as low cost or local rate, which have no fixed regulatory meaning.
It is also worth remembering that the free-to-mobile guarantee dates only from July 2015, so older printed materials and out-of-date assumptions sometimes still suggest a freephone call from a mobile might be charged. On any current UK mobile or landline service, a call to a true 0800 or 0808 number should not appear on the bill. If it does, that is a billing point worth raising with the phone company, because the freephone obligation rests on the caller's own provider not levying a charge for these ranges. This consumer clarity was a central aim of Ofcom's reforms, which sought to make the cost of any non-geographic number predictable before the call is made.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are 0800 and 0808 numbers the same?
They function identically for callers: both are UK freephone ranges that are free to dial from landlines and mobiles, with the called organisation paying. The 0808 range was opened to add capacity once 0800 numbers became scarce. A few 0808 sub-ranges are reserved for specific helpline purposes, but the free-to-caller principle is the same.
Are 0800 numbers free from abroad?
Usually not. The free-calling guarantee is a UK arrangement that applies to calls made from UK phone services. Dialling a UK 0800 number from a foreign network, or while roaming abroad, may incur international or roaming charges, or the call may not connect. Many organisations publish a separate geographic number for international callers.
Can any business get an 0800 number?
Freephone numbers are available to businesses, charities and other organisations through telecoms providers, subject to the provider's terms. There is no general restriction limiting them to particular types of organisation. The main practical consideration is cost, because the business pays for every call it receives, including calls from mobiles.
What rules apply to 0800 number advertising?
Where a freephone number is advertised to consumers, Ofcom requires it to be described accurately as free, without hidden access or connection charges that would contradict that. This sits within Ofcom's broader transparency rules for non-geographic numbers, which require call costs to be made clear wherever a number is promoted.
How does a business pay for calls to its 0800 number?
The business buys the freephone service from a telecoms provider and pays an inbound fee for calls received, usually on a per-minute or per-call basis. Because mobile callers no longer pay, the cost of mobile-originated calls is recovered from the business, often at a higher rate than landline-originated calls.
