- Most landline tariffs combine a fixed monthly line rental with either a call plan of inclusive minutes or pay-as-you-go call charges.
- Ofcom requires providers to publish clear pricing information so consumers can see the cost of calls before they make them.
- A pay-as-you-go landline call to a UK 01 or 02 number is typically billed as a call set-up fee plus a per-minute rate.
- Calls to 084, 087 and 09 numbers carry an access charge from your provider plus a service charge set by the organisation you call, which must be advertised next to the number.
- The traditional telephone network is being retired, with Openreach's all-IP migration completing in 2027, after which landline calls run over digital connections.
Landline costs are usually a fixed line rental plus either inclusive minutes or per-minute charges. When inclusive minutes run out, calls revert to your provider's standard rates, which vary by destination and time of day.
Last reviewed: June 2026
How landline tariffs are put together
A landline bill rarely consists of a single charge. In almost all cases it is built from two layers: a fixed element that you pay every month regardless of how much you use the phone, and a variable element that depends on the calls you make. The fixed element is the line rental, which covers the maintenance of the connection itself. The variable element is the calling charges, which can be bundled into an inclusive allowance or billed individually.
Understanding this split is the key to reading a landline bill. Two households on the same line rental can pay very different amounts because one has chosen an inclusive call plan while the other pays for each call as it is made. Providers publish their tariffs, and Ofcom expects pricing to be presented clearly so that the cost of a call can be understood before it is made.
Inclusive minutes and how they work
Many landline packages include a call plan offering a set allowance of calls. These plans commonly cover calls to other UK landlines, and sometimes to UK mobiles, either up to a stated number of minutes or with an effective cap such as a fixed call length after which a charge applies. An inclusive minutes plan effectively pre-pays the cost of qualifying calls inside the monthly fee, so making those calls does not add to the bill.
The detail matters. An evenings-and-weekends plan only includes calls made during those windows; a daytime call would still be charged. Some plans include calls only up to one hour, with calls redialled before the hour to keep them within the allowance. Reading the specific terms of the plan, rather than assuming all calls are covered, is what prevents surprises on the bill.
It also helps to be clear about what an inclusive plan deliberately excludes. Inclusive allowances are almost always limited to ordinary geographic and, in some cases, mobile calls. Calls to 084, 087 and 09 service numbers, to 118 directory enquiries and to international destinations sit outside the plan and are charged separately at the published rates. A household that mistakes a generous landline plan for a blanket allowance covering every kind of number can be caught out when one of these excluded call types appears on the bill at full price.
What happens when inclusive minutes run out
When a call falls outside an inclusive allowance, whether because the allowance is used up, the time of day is not covered, or the destination is not included, the call is charged at the provider's standard rate for that destination. These standard rates are set out in the provider's price list and typically consist of a call set-up fee charged once per call, plus a per-minute rate that accrues for the duration of the call.
The set-up fee is easy to overlook but can make short calls proportionally expensive, because it is charged in full no matter how brief the call is. For longer calls, the per-minute rate dominates. Because the rates differ by destination, a call to a UK landline, a UK mobile and a non-geographic number can cost very different amounts even on the same tariff.
Off-peak calling and timing
Some tariffs distinguish between peak and off-peak periods, charging less for calls made outside standard daytime business hours. Off-peak periods are usually evenings, overnight and weekends, though the exact boundaries are set by each provider and should be checked in the price list. Where a plan includes evening and weekend calls, the off-peak window is effectively when the inclusive allowance applies.
The practical takeaway is that timing can change the cost of the same call. A call that would be charged at the daytime rate may be inclusive or cheaper if made in the off-peak window. As more lines move onto digital, all-IP connections ahead of the 2027 completion of the network migration, calling allowances and the way calls are bundled continue to evolve, but the peak and off-peak concept remains common.
The digital migration is worth keeping in view because it changes how the line itself is delivered rather than how calls are priced. Under the all-IP arrangement, the voice service runs over a broadband connection instead of the traditional analogue circuit, but the call plans, inclusive allowances and per-minute rates continue to work in the same way from the customer's point of view. Anyone reviewing a landline bill during this period should focus on the call plan and the published rates, which remain the levers that determine what a given call costs.
Landline call cost structure breakdown
The table below shows how different call types are typically structured on a landline tariff. Exact figures depend on the provider's published price list.
| Call type | Charge structure | Often in inclusive plans? |
|---|---|---|
| UK landline (01 / 02) | Set-up fee plus per-minute rate | Commonly included |
| UK mobile (07) | Set-up fee plus per-minute rate | Sometimes included |
| Freephone (0800 / 0808) | Free to the caller | Always free |
| Service numbers (084 / 087) | Access charge plus service charge | Not included |
| International | Per-minute rate by country | Rarely included as standard |
International calls from a landline
International calls are nearly always charged separately and are not normally part of a standard UK call plan. The rate is set per minute and varies considerably by destination country, and sometimes by whether the number called is a landline or a mobile in that country. Providers publish international price lists, and some offer optional international add-on plans that reduce the per-minute rate to specific countries for a monthly fee.
Because international rates can be high and vary so widely, the cost of an international call is best checked against the provider's published rate for the specific country before dialling. For callers who make frequent international calls, an add-on bundle or a dedicated calling plan can change the economics, but the underlying principle is the same: the call is priced by destination and duration.
One further point applies to short international calls in the same way it applies to domestic ones: where a call set-up fee is charged, it falls due in full regardless of how long the call lasts. A run of very short international calls can therefore cost more in aggregate than a single longer call, because the fixed set-up element is incurred each time. Checking whether a provider applies a set-up fee, and at what level, is part of understanding the true cost of calling abroad.
Reading and checking your landline bill
Putting the elements together, a landline bill can usually be read as line rental plus call charges, with the call charges split between calls that were inside an inclusive allowance and calls that were charged individually. Itemised billing, where available, lists the individual chargeable calls with their destination, duration and cost, which makes it possible to see exactly which calls fell outside the plan and why.
If a bill is higher than expected, the most common explanations are calls made outside an inclusive window, calls to number ranges not covered by the plan such as service or premium numbers, or international calls. Because providers must publish their pricing clearly, the relevant rate for any given call can be confirmed against the price list, and any charge that does not match can be queried with the provider. Treating the bill as a combination of a predictable fixed element and a variable element that follows published rates is the clearest way to keep landline costs under control.
Frequently Asked Questions
How are landline calls charged in the UK?
Landline calls are usually charged as a call set-up fee applied once per call plus a per-minute rate for the duration. Many tariffs bundle qualifying calls into an inclusive allowance, in which case those calls do not add to the bill, while calls outside the allowance revert to standard published rates.
What are landline inclusive minutes?
Inclusive minutes are an allowance of calls bundled into your monthly package, covering specified call types such as UK landlines and sometimes UK mobiles. Calls within the allowance are effectively pre-paid, while calls outside it, by destination or time of day, are charged at the provider's standard rate.
When are off-peak landline calls?
Off-peak periods are typically evenings, overnight and weekends, though each provider sets its own boundaries in its price list. Calls made during off-peak windows are often cheaper or included in an evenings-and-weekends plan, whereas daytime calls may be charged at a higher rate.
How much do international landline calls cost?
International call costs are set per minute and vary widely by destination country and sometimes by whether you call a landline or mobile there. They are rarely part of a standard UK call plan, so they should be checked against the provider's published international rates before calling.
What happens if I go over my landline inclusive minutes?
Once an inclusive allowance is exhausted, or a call falls outside what the plan covers, the call is charged at the provider's standard rate. That standard rate usually combines a set-up fee with a per-minute charge, which is set out in the provider's price list.
