Cost of calling 0844 numbers?

manrow
manrow Posts: 185
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edited 23 February 2011 at 9:45AM in Phones & TV
MoneySavingExpert.com Insert:
There's lots more on this and cutting the cost of calling other numbers in our
Say No to 0870 article.


Anyone know the cost to call these relatively new 0844 numbers.

BT site trying desperately hard to hide the answers, or rather succeeding?

Thanks
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Comments

  • manrow
    manrow Posts: 185
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    Using the BT answerback system I now know that the number I called for 2 minutes and 45 seconds cost me 13p excluding VAT etc..

    Since I believe the system does not include the 5p connection charge it seem that 4p per minute is the answer to my own question!
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  • Heinz
    Heinz Posts: 11,191
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    The cost of calling 0844 numbers from a BT landline varies from ½p/minute to 5p/minute depending on the number's 5th, 6th and 7th digits.

    That's why they're used by the many dial-through (gateway) providers listed in the MSE Callcheckers - so, for example, rates to different countries can be ½p, 1p, 2p. 3p, 4p or 5p per minute.

    For the full list of BT rates for such numbers, see HERE.
    Time has moved on (much quicker than it used to - or so it seems at my age) and my previous advice on residential telephony has been or is now gradually being overtaken by changes in the retail market. Hence, I have now deleted links to my previous 'pearls of wisdom'. I sincerely hope they helped save some of you money.
  • manrow
    manrow Posts: 185
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    Thanks Heinz, the beans are clearly doing what you expect, with a free passage of information!

    Thanks again.:beer:
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  • If I call one of these numbers from a bt landline to a foreign country am I charged the gateway providers per minute cost and also BT's per minute cost?
  • Heinz
    Heinz Posts: 11,191
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    brodie4 wrote: »
    If I call one of these numbers from a bt landline to a foreign country am I charged the gateway providers per minute cost and also BT's per minute cost?
    You'd be charged the BT 'call set-up fee' (6p) plus cost of the 0844 call - ½p, 1p or whatever per minute.
    Time has moved on (much quicker than it used to - or so it seems at my age) and my previous advice on residential telephony has been or is now gradually being overtaken by changes in the retail market. Hence, I have now deleted links to my previous 'pearls of wisdom'. I sincerely hope they helped save some of you money.
  • Thanks for that,but how do they do it so cheap? it's costing me 2p per min. but to use BT it would be 87p per min.....how can they justify that?
  • I called billing enquiries and the BT person ran the number through an application to let me know the cost of a call. Tell them the number and they will tell you the charge.

    My Dr's Surgery has an 0844 number and is charging patients the maximum to call.

    Calls to the Dr's 0844 number costs 6p connection charge +5p per minute. A three minute call would cost 21 p. If the receptionist puts you on hold for 5 minutes then that's an extra 25p. Other operators and mobile providers can add their own extra charges on top. Don't forget to add VAT to this so that Gordon and Alistair get their share.

    That means a single mother on benifits with a pay as you go mobile could pay 50p to call the Dr and make an appointment.

    I believe the Dr's make about 1.225p per minute from these charges. not enough to pay for the Aston Martin DB9 with the personalised number plate parked outside the surgery but it might buy one new tyre every year.

    Dr's might have started running their own businesses but they have a long way to go to understand customer satisfation and service. :mad:
  • Heinz
    Heinz Posts: 11,191
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    Heinz wrote: »
    You'd be charged the BT 'call set-up fee' (6p) plus cost of the 0844 call - ½p, 1p or whatever per minute.
    7p 'call set-up fee' on BT from 16-9-08.
    Time has moved on (much quicker than it used to - or so it seems at my age) and my previous advice on residential telephony has been or is now gradually being overtaken by changes in the retail market. Hence, I have now deleted links to my previous 'pearls of wisdom'. I sincerely hope they helped save some of you money.
  • sebastianj
    sebastianj Posts: 1,039
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    Best thing to do is to look up' say no to 0844/45' numbers on the internet and use the alternative number at local rates.
    seb
  • Looking up the alternatative isn't always possible.

    I called a local number and spoke to a district nurse inside the building but she said there was no alternative to the 0844 number for calling the surgery. She aplogised but did not know how much it cast to call the surgery on the 0844 number.
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