Yes. Freephone numbers starting 0800 or 0808 are free to call from all phones, mobile or landline. Calls to 03 numbers cost no more than a call to an 01 or 02 number and count towards your inclusive minutes. Calls to 084, 087, 09 and 118 numbers cost a service charge plus your phone company's access charge.
Key points
✓All Freephone numbers, which begin 0800 or 0808, are free for consumers to call from all phones, whether mobile or landline.
✓Calls to 03 numbers cost no more than a national rate call to an 01 or 02 number, from any type of line including mobile.
✓Since January 2025, new phone and broadband contracts cannot include price rises linked to inflation or set out in percentages.
✓Under Ofcom's automatic compensation scheme, a missed engineer appointment pays £32.31.
✓From 8 April 2026, the wait before you can take an unresolved complaint to an independent dispute resolution scheme fell from eight weeks to six.
Are 0800 numbers free from mobiles?
Yes. Under Ofcom's UK Calling rules, which changed call charges in July 2015, all Freephone numbers beginning 0800 or 0808 are free for consumers to call from all phones, whether mobile or landline. Our list of benefits contact numbers has the DWP and HMRC helplines.
Are 0300 numbers free?
Calls to 03 numbers cost no more than a national rate call to an 01 or 02 number, and must count towards any inclusive minutes in the same way. This applies from any type of line, including mobiles and payphones. Ofcom introduced 03 numbers as an alternative to chargeable 08 numbers such as 0870.
How much do 084, 087, 09 and 118 numbers cost?
Since 1 July 2015, the cost of calling these service numbers has two parts:
Part of the charge
Who sets it
Where you find it
Access charge
Your phone company, in pence per minute
On your bill and when you take out a contract
Service charge
The organisation you are calling
The organisation tells you how much it is
Ofcom's example: if your phone company's access charge is 5p a minute and the service charge is 20p a minute, the call costs you 25p a minute. The rules do not affect calls to 01, 02, 03 or 07 numbers, calls from payphones, or international calls.
Can your provider put your price up mid-contract?
Since January 2025, providers have been banned from offering new contracts with price rises linked to inflation or set out in percentages. A provider that includes price rises must set them out clearly in pounds and pence before you sign up, and say when they will happen. Contracts signed before 17 January 2025 might still include price rises linked to inflation or set out as percentages.
If your contract does not say how much the price can rise, or your provider raises it by more than the contract says, it must:
✓Yes: tell you at least 30 days before the increase takes effect
✓Yes: give you 30 days from then to leave your contract
If you leave, you can choose a new contract with the same provider or switch to a new provider without paying any exit fees. Our guide to cancelling subscriptions covers other contracts that are hard to leave.
Can you get compensation when your broadband goes down?
Yes, if your provider is in Ofcom's automatic compensation scheme. The scheme covers residential fixed broadband and landline, and you do not have to ask for the money. The amounts below apply from 1 April 2026 and rise each year with inflation.
What went wrong
Compensation
Service not fixed two full working days after you report the fault
£10.34 for each calendar day it is not repaired
Engineer does not turn up, or cancels with less than 24 hours' notice
£32.31 per missed appointment
New service does not start on the promised date
£6.46 for each calendar day of delay
The providers in the scheme are BT, EE, Hyperoptic, Plusnet, Sky (including NOW Broadband), TalkTalk, Utility Warehouse, Virgin Media, Vodafone and Zen Internet. Compensation is usually a credit on your bill within 30 calendar days. You should get it even when the problem is caused by extreme weather, strikes or third parties.
You may not get compensation if:
✗No: the loss of service is caused by equipment or activity within your home
✗No: you break the terms of your contract
✗No: you caused the service failure, or prevent it from being fixed, for example by asking for a later engineer appointment
How do you complain about your phone or broadband provider?
Complain to your provider first. If the complaint is not resolved, you can take it to an independent alternative dispute resolution (ADR) scheme. From 8 April 2026, Ofcom cut the wait before you can go to ADR from eight weeks to six.
If you get Universal Credit, Pension Credit, Employment and Support Allowance or certain other benefits, you might be able to get a cheaper social tariff. If your provider offers one and you are eligible, you can switch to it at any time, free of charge.
Do these rules apply across the UK?
Yes. Ofcom says the UK Calling rules apply to all consumer calls to 084, 087, 09 and 118 numbers across the UK, and 03 numbers are UK-wide numbers. If a bank is the problem rather than a phone company, our guide to bank complaints sets out that route. Our consumer guides cover the rest.
Know Your Rights UK. "Are 0800 Numbers Free? Call Charges and Broadband Rights." Know Your Rights UK, https://www.knowyourrightsuk.com/consumer/phone-and-broadband-rights