Cheap calls though 18185 - experiences please?
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Still quite a spread (6-10-12p) on Finarea charges to UK mobiles - but for how long?0
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Thanks for that diamond dave :beer: - They always charge virginmedia callers 1p per minute for UK fixed lines (in addition to the 5p charge for making a call). I got the Sky MSE deal in June £5.35 for Broadband & Phone for the year - I must register my sky telephone with 18185 for the 0.5 p per minute charge and keep my eye on the ball
You can't use indirect access codes like 18185 on Sky Talk to get the 0.5p rate they have been blocked for a while. You can of course use the 0808 freephone number access at 1p minute .0 -
Cheaper if you have a spare mobile to use 3 payg or delight mobile 3p a minute. Or use a prepaid callback service like https://www.localphone.com Pay both legs of call to uk mobile 1.8 p X 2= 3.6 p a minute.Still quite a spread (6-10-12p) on Finarea charges to UK mobiles - but for how long?0 -
The extra charge billed by 18185 when calling via the 0808 number is to cover the Call Origination Fee that they have to pay out to your landline or mobile provider. All calls have to be paid for by someone. This fee compensates your provider for the fact that you as the caller paid them nothing for the call. Usually the called party pays this from their funds (e.g. customer service line, charity helpline, etc).You can't use indirect access codes like 18185 on Sky Talk to get the 0.5p rate they have been blocked for a while. You can of course use the 0808 freephone number access at 1p minute .
Now that calls to freephone numbers are free from mobile phones and have a higher Call Origination Fee than before, expect the rates when using the 0808 number to increase at some point. They should already have done so on 1 July 2015.0 -
Now that calls to freephone numbers are free from mobile phones and have a higher Call Origination Fee than before, expect the rates when using the 0808 number to increase at some point. They should already have done so on 1 July 2015.
... or if companies are unable to agree a rate, don't be surprised if some access numbers will eventually be (or perhaps already are?) blocked by some mobile networks.
This seemed to be already happening the last time I tried a certain calling card method from a BT callbox, several years ago.
I used to occasionally use that calling card with a German SIM while over there. In advance of committing myself to getting the SIM I asked someone there to check 4 freephone access numbers for me, and 3 were blocked.0 -
When an organisation with an 080 number receives an incoming call from a BT payphone, the Call Origination Fee payable by the called party to BT is around 80p per minute.
This is why many organisations block incoming calls to their freephone numbers when they are called from BT payphones.0 -
Given that the termination rate for calls to 01 and 02 numbers is 0.21p per minute and for 03 numbers is 0.56p per minute, and given that the retail charge for calling 03 numbers must not exceed that for 01 and 02 numbers, charging 0.5p per minute for calls to 01, 02 and 03 numbers seems wholly reasonable. Indeed, it is surprising that it isn't a little bit higher.
The termination rate for calls to 071-075 and 077-079 mobile numbers is 0.68p per minute, so the retail charge for those calls shouldn't be much more than that for calls to 01, 02 and 03 numbers, but nearly all providers do charge a lot extra for calls to mobile numbers.
Very interesting. Do these termination rates apply across the board to all providers?
The rule that an 03 number has to have the same retail charge as an 01 or 01 or 02 number, but the 03 termination charge is over double that of 01 and 02 seems a bit unfair.
The low termination rates for mobile numbers is surprising - is there some other reason why providers charge so much more for them? It seems to me there has to be more to it than just that...0 -
It is pretty unscrupulous not to inform your customers in advance that you are raising your prices. I was going to complain, but there's no way to contact them. If anyone knows how to access customer services at 18185, please let me know.0
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Termination rates for calls to mobile numbers were more than 25p per minute in the 1990s. This is why inclusive calls on mobiles were initially only to mobiles on the same network. Once the termination rate came down a bit, cross-network inclusive calls became possible. As the rate fell further, the number of available minutes increased.
Ofcom intervened in the market in 2009. Termination rates for calls to mobiles were then around 4p per minute and have been reduced in annual steps by Ofcom. The cap applied to calls to numbers on the main mobile networks. In 2015, the cap was extended to cover calls to all UK mobile numbers (i.e. excluding CI and IoM) and is currently 0.68p per minute.
Some landline providers haven't passed the savings on. Virgin Media still charges 32p per minute (or thereabouts) for calls to the Three network as if it we were still stuck in a previous decade.
Outside of an inclusive allowance, mobile providers charge up to 45p per minute for these calls. These prices are designed to make inclusive call plans look more attractive.
The reduction in the termination rate for calls to mobile numbers means we are very close to the point where landline providers will be able to offer inclusive calls to mobile numbers within their standard call plans. Several already offer an add-on for a few quid extra per month.
The termination rates for 01/02, 03 and mobile numbers mentioned above are the maximum that are charged. Some providers will be appreciably lower.
The retail charge for calls to 03 numbers must be no more than that for 01 and 02 numbers. Most people have inclusive call plans so this isn't an issue.0 -
.....still a good deal if you are with a phone supplier who allows indirect access numbers eg a 20 minute call to a UK number is only 15p - still less than the BT connection charge !!0
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