STOP Calling Your Bank on an Expensive 0845 Number!

Ian011

In recent months most banks have swapped their expensive 0845 lines over to cheaper 0345 numbers.

This comes ahead of new regulation from the FCA which is expected in the Summer of 2015.

Stop calling the old 0845 numbers.
Start calling the new 0345 numbers.

• Barclays 0345 7345 345
• Co-op bank 0345 7212 212
• First Direct 0345 6100 100
• Halifax 0345 720 3040 or 0345 739 4959
• HSBC 0345 7404 404
• Intelligent Finance 0345 609 4343
• Lloyds 0345 300 0000
• Metro Bank 0345 0808 500
• Nationwide 0800 30 20 11
• NatWest (England & Wales) 0345 7888 444
• NatWest (Scotland) 0345 9000 200
• RBS 0370 6000 459
• Sainsbury Bank 0500 40 50 60
• Santander 0345 600 6014
• Tesco Bank 0345 8353 353
• Think Money 0800 0566 566
• TSB 0345 9758 758
• UBS 0370 6000 459

Verify the new number for your bank by looking at the bank's official website.

Calls to all 03 numbers count towards your inclusive allowance on a landline or on a mobile. If you have no inclusive allowance, these calls are charged at the same rate as calls to 01 and 02 numbers.

If you need to call a different department, first look on the official website for the right number. If this is still advertised as an 084 or 087 number, try replacing the 8 with a 3 so that you call the matching 034 or 037 number.


Some banks continue to promote expensive 0845 numbers, but have a cheaper "calling from abroad" number that can also be called from the UK. In some cases you may have to withhold CLI in order for the call to connect.

• Bank of Scotland 0131 337 4218
• Lloyds 01733 347 007
• Santander 01908 237 968
• Virgin Money 0191 279 4604

If you use one of these banks, you should ask them when are they going to be swapping their 0845 number over to an 0345 number.

From 1 July 2015 new Ofcom rules come into force requiring all users of 084, 087 and 118 numbers to declare their Service Charge. Time is rapidly running out.

jhe

I have been using http://www.saynoto0870.com/ to get alternative numbers for many years now

Ian011

Now that banks have swapped to 0345 numbers there's no need to go looking for alternative numbers.

Just call the new 0345 numbers as published on the banks official website.

jhe

It is a helpful list you have posted didn't mean to say otherwise.
my own bank doesnt show an 0345 number but I have already have an alternative number stored for it.
never had a problem finding alternative numbers in the past for my own bank

teddysmum

The Co-op bank also has 03457212212,now, plus calls to local branches with local codes.

Ian011

Thanks. I have now added that one to the original list.

pmduk

Sainsburys bank are the one to watch here, as the new 0800 "free" calls do not apply to 0500 numbers, although they are due to be discontinued during 2017.

Ian011

Users of 0500 numbers can migrate to the matching 0808 5 number at any time.

The new number retains the last six digits of the old number.

The new number is one digit longer than the old number.



See also
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5222050

Graham1

An exception, of course, is customers on BT Basic, where at the weekend 0845 is still "free" but 0345 is not. This probably won't last much longer.

Ian011

BT has been prevented from making margin on call origination to 084, 087 and 09 numbers for more than 15 years. The rules that cap BT's retail prices for these calls will end on 1 July 2015.

The declaration of the Service Charge and the Access Charge under the new system will bring clarity to the real cost of these calls. It will become very clear that BT's rates have differed from all other providers.

We are moving away from a system where too many people regarded BT's retail call prices for 084, 087 and 09 numbers as some sort of 'standard'. In reality, those prices have been very much non-standard.

oliverbrown

We need to start getting companies to be compliant now that the 08 service charges are coming in and some telcos like TalkTalk are dropping 0845 from inclusive calls.

https://www.southernwater.co.uk/call-us

Who enforces the regulation that customer services are supplied on 01, 02 or 03?