No, 0843 numbers are certainly not free to call on EE.
As of July 2015, calls to 0843 numbers in the UK cost the same as calls to 0844 and 0845 numbers in that they are all charged at up to 7p per minute for Service Charge, plus your phone company’s self-determined Access Charge which on EE is up to 50p per minute depending which tariff you’re on.
Here’s the breakdown: EE’s access charges, and indeed total call costs, for “business rate” 084-prefixed telephone numbers vary as follows.
| Tariff | Service Charge | Access Charge | Total Call Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| EE Broadband and Phone | 7p per minute | 11p per minute | 18p per minute |
| EE PAYG and Small Business | 7p per minute | 44p per minute | 51p per minute |
| EE Mobile (incl. Pay Monthly and SIM-Only) | 7p per minute | 50p per minute | 57p per minute |
This means that while call cost disclaimers typically say calls to 0843 numbers are charged at “7p per minute plus your phone company’s access charge” the actual call cost on EE is up to 57p per minute – a stark difference from the ballpark of mere pennies implied by legal disclaimers. This is not the fault of EE in particular, as most major mobile networks charge similar fees on calling these “Lo-Call” “business rate” “service numbers”.