We’d like to remind Forumites to please avoid political debate on the Forum.
This is to keep it a safe and useful space for MoneySaving discussions. Threads that are – or become – political in nature may be removed in line with the Forum’s rules. Thank you for your understanding.
📨 Have you signed up to the Forum's new Email Digest yet? Get a selection of trending threads sent straight to your inbox daily, weekly or monthly!
Free mobile calls for benefit claimants
*MF*
Posts: 3,113 Forumite
Free mobile calls for benefit claimants starting from 18 January
Free phone calls for most people using their mobiles to claim benefits and pensions are announced by the Department of Work and Pensions today. From next week, six of the biggest mobile phone network companies will no longer charge their customers for calls to the Department’s 0800 Benefit Claim lines. Currently 12% of UK households use only mobile phones and do not have a land line.
Calls to claim benefits and state pension use 0800 numbers which are already free to customers using BT land lines and mobiles. But currently people calling 0800 numbers from other mobile phone providers are charged for these calls.
The Department has now reached agreement with O2, Orange, Tesco Mobile, T-Mobile, Virgin Mobile and Vodafone to end charges to their customers for mobile calls to around seventy of its 0800 numbers. These numbers are used by people making initial claims for benefit and pensions and to request emergency payments, such as crisis loans.
From here:
http://www.wired-gov.net/wg/wg-news-1.nsf/lfi/410350
Free phone calls for most people using their mobiles to claim benefits and pensions are announced by the Department of Work and Pensions today. From next week, six of the biggest mobile phone network companies will no longer charge their customers for calls to the Department’s 0800 Benefit Claim lines. Currently 12% of UK households use only mobile phones and do not have a land line.
Calls to claim benefits and state pension use 0800 numbers which are already free to customers using BT land lines and mobiles. But currently people calling 0800 numbers from other mobile phone providers are charged for these calls.
The Department has now reached agreement with O2, Orange, Tesco Mobile, T-Mobile, Virgin Mobile and Vodafone to end charges to their customers for mobile calls to around seventy of its 0800 numbers. These numbers are used by people making initial claims for benefit and pensions and to request emergency payments, such as crisis loans.
From here:
http://www.wired-gov.net/wg/wg-news-1.nsf/lfi/410350
If many little people, in many little places, do many little things,
they can change the face of the world.
- African proverb -
they can change the face of the world.
- African proverb -
0
Comments
-
T-mobile and virgin don't start until the 25th Jan (incase any other users are on those networks)
E2A: maybe useful as a sticky?*SIGH*
0 -
Its free anyways already though from mobiles.. :rolleyes:
If its an 0800 number, just dial it without the 1st 0, so just ''800-9596-3494...'' for example.
Or if its an 0845 number just gogle the website 'say no to 0845', and on there you simply enter the number and the system will give you the landline equivalent for it.0 -
Its free anyways already though from mobiles.. :rolleyes:
If its an 0800 number, just dial it without the 1st 0, so just ''800-9596-3494...'' for example.
Or if its an 0845 number just gogle the website 'say no to 0845', and on there you simply enter the number and the system will give you the landline equivalent for it.
It certainly is not free from many mobile networks at present. Perhaps you could link to your source of information?
Gone ... or have I?0 -
Now this is GOOD NEWS
Blackpool_Saver is female, and does not live in Blackpool0 -
It certainly is not free from many mobile networks at present. Perhaps you could link to your source of information?
Oh, um for me whenever i try and dial an 0800 number from my mobile it automatically says ''this call is not free with current prefix, please hangup and redial without the 1st zero''.
(Im on o2)
And to find the free (landline) equivalent for the 0845 numbers (all of them have to have a landline number as thats their real base number, the 0845 is merely a money-spinning add on),
just go to this website and enter the number, and it will give you the landline numbers for it.
http://www.saynoto0870.com/search.php0 -
Oh, um for me whenever i try and dial an 0800 number from my mobile it automatically says ''this call is not free with current prefix, please hangup and redial without the 1st zero''.
(Im on o2)
And to find the free (landline) equivalent for the 0845 numbers (all of them have to have a landline number as thats their real base number, the 0845 is merely a money-spinning add on),
just go to this website and enter the number, and it will give you the landline numbers for it.
http://www.saynoto0870.com/search.php
So it is free from O2, not all mobiles?
Unfortunately saynoto0870 does not have all the DWP numbers on there. Certain BDC's seem to be an enigma!
Always best to check things like this before posting - it could have ended up with people having very high phonebills!Gone ... or have I?0 -
0800 numbers AREN'T free from O2 phones even when you redial removing the first 0. My sister doesn't have a land line and had to phone the freephone Income support using a O2 PAYG phone. It cost her £6 before she got to speak to anyone!0
-
It will depend if you are on PayNgo, or pay monthly.
For me im on pay monthly, and when you take off the 1st zero you get the calls to 0800 numbers free,
and for any 0845 calls that i need to make i research on the SayNo website to find the number.
And even if it doesnt give the exact department that you are looking for i just call the main one and have them transfer my call internally to the correct department.0 -
they still aren't free though on contract. I've got a O2 contract phone and any 0800 numbers (with the first 0 taken off) are simply taken out of my call allowance as any other call would be, so if you had used all your call allowance for that month and used your phone to call a 0800 number you would be charged the standard rate for a call.It will depend if you are on PayNgo, or pay monthly.
For me im on pay monthly, and when you take off the 1st zero you get the calls to 0800 numbers free,
and for any 0845 calls that i need to make i research on the SayNo website to find the number.
And even if it doesnt give the exact department that you are looking for i just call the main one and have them transfer my call internally to the correct department.0 -
To get back on topic rather than arguments over small things that are not related to the original post.
This is a good step forward for our customers, I work in the DWP and this will be beneficial to a lot of claimants0
This discussion has been closed.
Confirm your email address to Create Threads and Reply
Categories
- All Categories
- 352.1K Banking & Borrowing
- 253.6K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
- 454.2K Spending & Discounts
- 245.2K Work, Benefits & Business
- 600.8K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
- 177.5K Life & Family
- 258.9K Travel & Transport
- 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
- 16K Discuss & Feedback
- 37.7K Read-Only Boards