UK telephone numbers which begin with 0843 numbers are not free to call on any network throughout the country, nor can inclusive minutes offered on your monthly, pay as you go or landline tariffs be used to make the call instead.
Background on 0843 numbers
Telephone numbers which start with 0843 prefixes, as well as those starting with 0844 and 0845 digits, are service numbers used throughout the UK as sales hotlines, technical support numbers and for phone-in competitions. They used to be more widespread but their popularity diminished when Ofcom stipulated that from July 2015 they could not be used for post-sales customer service helplines. This is because 0843 numbers usually carry higher charges than local numbers, typically consisting of a 7p per minute service charge as well as a per-minute access charge paid directly to your provider.
Maximum call charges for 0843 numbers on UK networks
- EE customers on a mobile tariff will pay a maximum of 57p per minute to call 0843 numbers, whereas landline users only have to pay a limit of 18p per minute.
- If you are an O2 customer on a monthly mobile contract will currently pay a maximum of 62p per minute to phone UK telephone numbers which start with 0843 prefixes.
- Vodafone customers who hold a monthly mobile contract currently (as of October 2017) pay a maximum of 62p per minute to call 0843 numbers, by contrast landline customers only have to pay 18p per minute.