Have you ever had to call a customer services line and been frustrated that you get charged outside of your call plan if using your mobile? It’s a constant frustration for millions of us across the UK – especially for 0800 numbers that are free from landlines. Many mobile operators haven’t moved quickly enough with the times, but luckily there are some great services available to remove the extra call charges if you do have to call an 08 number from your mobile.
SayNoTo0870.com
The
SayNoTo0870.com website has always been a favourite among the team here at iLikeOffers.co.uk. The website is completely free to use and doesn’t even require a sign up to use it, which means you can get the info needed in a matter of seconds. Just enter the 08 number you need to call and you’ll be presented with a regional 01 or 02 number for the company. A call to these numbers is then charged at the standard landline rate for PAYG users, or should be included within your call plan if you’re on monthly contract. There’s also an option to search by company name if you don’t know the number. An iPhone app is currently available but it’ll cost you 69p so try the website first on your mobile to see how you get on.
The only drawback is that you’re often presented with an 0800 number, which is great if you’re on your desktop PC or laptop and can call from a landline, but not so great from your mobile phone. This is where the next service from 0800 Wizard comes into it’s element.
0800 Wizard App
0800 Wizard is a free app (currently available for iPhones, Blackberry and Android), which automatically replaces the 0800 or 0808 numbers with a standard landline number. This means the call will be included within any inclusive landline (geographical) minutes on contracts and charged at the standard rate on any Pay As You Go network plan.
It’s a basic interface as you’d expect and tries to look as much like the standard handset dialer as possible – just make sure you dial through the app rather than from your standard keypad. As it’s all automatically, you just need to enter the number you need to call and it will do the rest by redirecting the call via an 01 or 02 number. There’s also a useful list of recent calls made, together with savings so you can see exactly how much you saved for each call.
08 Saver App
Unfortunately unlike the 0800 Wizard service, the
08 Saver App isn’t free and you’ll have top pay 69p to get your hands on it. It has similar functionality to the SayNoTo0870 App in that you can search by company rather than a number. Useful if you need a department within the organization you’re trying to get hold of. One extra feature is you can also browse companies by category (such as airlines etc) – perfect if you need something generic like booking a hotel or flights.
It is more specialized than the other services and is a ‘useful to have’ app to ensure you never pay to call a company’s customer service team. If you already have the number or company name then it isn’t probably needed for you so stick to SayNoTo0870.com or the 0800 Wizard App.
0800 Buster
Quite different to the other services, 0800 Buster works by providing you with a 03 number to call after visiting the website (
0800Buster.co.uk). 03 numbers are usually included within contracts as part of your all-inclusive minutes so you won’t be charged extra for this call – we do advise double-checking with your network though as charges can change at any time. After calling the number you then simply enter the 0808 or 0800 number you want to call, followed by the hash key (#) to start the call. Please make sure that you DO NOT press the call button for a second time as this will cause you to be charged – you only need to press the hash key after entering the 0808 or 0800 number.
Again there are drawbacks in that you can’t use it for 0845 or 0870 numbers, however it’s quick to use and won’t cost you a penny if you’ve got all-inclusive minutes.
Important note on 0808 numbers
Any number that starts with 0808 80 rather than just 0808 are always free to call from your mobile phone, so you don’t need to use any of the services listed above. These numbers are provided for not-for-profit helplines and all of the largest network providers have agreed not to charge for any 0808 08 calls made from your mobile if you’re on a contract. Unfortunately, charges may apply if you’re on a PAYG plan with the network.