We're aware that some users are experiencing technical issues which the team are working to resolve. See the Community Noticeboard for more info. Thank you for your patience.
📨 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!

Ringing banks - how to keep the costs down?

Options
I see many posts here, and on the savings/ISA boards, where people mention calls to banks, for standard transactions, and/or to resolve issues.

Most of the numbers I have seen for banks are 0844, 0845 or even 0870 numbers, so cost a fair whack of money by the time you have gone from option 5 to option 3 to option 7 and back etc, listened to some lengthy announcements (like "have you thought of visiting us on doubleyou-doubleyou-doubleyou-we-are-bankers-dot-com", and "we are regulated by the Financial Services Authority and may monitor calls blah blah blah"), then listen to some usually dreadful muzzak, and then, may be, finally get to speak to someone who speaks your language and can actually help with your call.

What are people doing to keeping the costs for such calls down? Is there any single approach people are using? Is it worth trying to contain these costs, or is it not something you worry about? Please cast your vote on whether a guide for cheapest calls would be useful.

I couldn't find a single "fits all" approach for contacting banks about existing accounts, so I am doing any of the following, as appropriate:
  1. try to use the internal messaging system - ok if no instant answer , or extensive discussion, is required
  2. only ever call from mobile if life depends on the call (basically never!). [I appreciate not everyone has access to a landline, though]
  3. find an 0800 number on the bank's website, and hope one of the options gets you to where you want to get to
  4. use saynoto0870.com to find a freefone, or switchboard number
  5. use a dial-prefix, or someone like 18185, found on the MSE callchecker
Am I missing something obvious?

(NB. please can the First Direct appreciation society spare us with talk of brilliant FD phone support, and instead tell us how we can reduce the cost of calling FD).

So we need a guide on how to make cheapest calls to banks? 28 votes

A guide would be great
75% 21 votes
Don't be silly
25% 7 votes
«13

Comments

  • Just to add that many banks issue geographical numbers you can call from abroad, this is usually on statements or on the back of credit/debit cards but work equally well from the UK.

    Also check your phone tariff - many now allow 0870 within your call bundle although annoyingly not always for the 0844/0845 numbers.
  • samwsmith1
    samwsmith1 Posts: 922 Forumite
    With FD I'm sure if you ask they'll ring you back, you can message them with your query and ask for a callback or tweet them and ask for a call back.

    I always just use the geo number for banks though from my mobile and use my unlimited minutes.
  • innovate
    innovate Posts: 16,217 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Just to add that many banks issue geographical numbers you can call from abroad, this is usually on statements or on the back of credit/debit cards but work equally well from the UK

    Yes, most do - - though the other day I tried calling the Santander UK Helpdesk on 01908 238013, just to get a message saying something like "Thanks for calling. The number you called is for customers calling from outside the UK. Please re-dial blah blah blah".
  • MoneySaverLog
    MoneySaverLog Posts: 3,232 Forumite
    Banks are OK they give the equivalent 01 telephone numbers. It's the likes of Sky that are the problem they refuse to give out the 01506 number that their 0844 numbers are ported across to. Any number listed on say no to 0870 is soon disconnected by them too.
  • pqrdef
    pqrdef Posts: 4,552 Forumite
    1. Remind yourself that call centres are crap. There's a high chance that the adviser will make a mistake with your transaction, or feed you misinformation, or fob you off with any old rubbish, or just not be able to do anything or tell you anything. Do you really need to make that call, or are you just phone-addicted?

    2. I rarely pay to phone a bank because my broadband/phone deal includes free evening/weekend calls to 0845 numbers. It means I have to sit on my hands until 7 pm. Probably too stressful for the mobile generation, emotionally dependent on instant communication.

    3. Don't use an 01 number instead of a cheaper 0845 number.
    "It will take, five, 10, 15 years to get back to where we need to be. But it's no longer the individual banks that are in the wrong, it's the banking industry as a whole." - Steven Cooper, head of personal and business banking at Barclays, talking to Martin Lewis
  • pmduk
    pmduk Posts: 10,681 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    I only have a mobile, no landline at all. I found a useful app called 08 wizard which converts numbers beginning 08 to the appropriate 01 number. On the rare occasions that doesn't work I'll resort to saynoto0870.
  • Vortigern
    Vortigern Posts: 3,302 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    First Direct do publish a geographic number 0113 276 6166 for those people who find that cheaper than 0845. The also have the far more memorable 01132345678 (Leeds 2345678) for people calling from abroad. Would they refuse to deal with a UK caller on that number?

    I rarely call banks (or any call centre). I prefer online banking. I would use secure messaging for queries/enquiries, which leads to my complaint:- Why do some banks not have a secure messaging facility for queries? Halifax for example have no online messaging except for complaints.
  • agrinnall
    agrinnall Posts: 23,344 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    innovate wrote: »
    Yes, most do - - though the other day I tried calling the Santander UK Helpdesk on 01908 238013, just to get a message saying something like "Thanks for calling. The number you called is for customers calling from outside the UK. Please re-dial blah blah blah".

    The answer to this is to prefix the number with 141 so they can't tell where you are calling from.
  • jen245
    jen245 Posts: 1,606 Forumite
    Tenth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    I do it from work, or use the geographical landline number from my mobile, but mostly from work
    Debt free and staying that way! :beer:
  • innovate
    innovate Posts: 16,217 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    agrinnall wrote: »
    The answer to this is to prefix the number with 141 so they can't tell where you are calling from.

    Nope, I had already tried that. Gives you the same message.
This discussion has been closed.
Meet your Ambassadors

🚀 Getting Started

Hi new member!

Our Getting Started Guide will help you get the most out of the Forum

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 350.9K Banking & Borrowing
  • 253.1K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 453.5K Spending & Discounts
  • 243.9K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 598.8K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 176.9K Life & Family
  • 257.2K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 16.1K Discuss & Feedback
  • 37.6K Read-Only Boards

Is this how you want to be seen?

We see you are using a default avatar. It takes only a few seconds to pick a picture.