Santander telephone banking new freephone number

babyj3

I have found out that Santander have a freephone number 0800 9123 123 for telephone banking customers so that they will not have to pay for the 08459 724 724
Full marks to them for sorting this out in time for the changes that come into force on 1st July 2015

Ian011

Most users of 0845 numbers have spent the last decade or more denying that they receive any financial benefit from the use of these numbers. This ignored the 2p per minute Enhanced Termination Fee that subsidised the additional call-handling and call-forwarding costs inherent in the use of a non-geographic number. It also ignored the 0.5p per minute revenue share payments that were available to businesses with a large volume of incoming calls.

The Ofcom changes effective 1 July 2015 merely required users of 084, 087 and 09 numbers to declare the part of the call cost that is paid to the benefit of the called party and their telecoms provider. This is known as the Service Charge. As part of the 1 July 2015 reforms users of 0845 numbers were allowed to pick a level of Service Charge from 1p to 7p per minute or a level of 5p per call to replace the previous undeclared 2p per minute charge.

Unwilling to declare such a charge, most banks have swapped their 0845 lines over to the matching 0345 number. Calls to 03 numbers cost the same as calling 01 and 02 numbers and count towards inclusive allowances on landlines and on mobiles. These numbers have been available since 2007. A few have changed to freephone 080 numbers and will be paying a lot more for incoming calls than those who have moved to 03 numbers.

A move away from 0845 numbers should have been made as soon as possible after 2004. This was when calls to 0845 numbers stopped being charged at local rate from landlines. Both Ofcom and ASA issued a note about this in 2005, but were largely ignored. It has taken until 2015 and the clarity brought by Clear Call Rates for Everyone to finally push most former users of 084 and 087 numbers over to new 03 numbers.

Further regulation from the FCA comes into effect on 26 October 2015. This requires financial services, including banks and insurance companies, to use numbers starting 01, 02, 03 or 080. This mirrors the BIS regulation that has already been in force for retailers, traders and passenger transport companies since 13 June 2014. Most banks have already complied with the new FCA regulation. Insurance companies have been slower to act.

jimjames

0800 is now free from mobiles but until then it was better to use a geographic number as it was part of call plan.

Ian011

Since 1 July 2015, both 0800 and 0808 are free from landlines and from mobiles.

bigfreddiel

babyj3 wrote: »

I have found out that Santander have a freephone number 0800 9123 123 for telephone banking customers so that they will not have to pay for the 08459 724 724
Full marks to them for sorting this out in time for the changes that come into force on 1st July 2015

Old news, they did this some time ago, but thanks anyway

fj

Archi_Bald

bigfreddiel wrote: »

Old news, they did this some time ago, but thanks anyway

You commented on a post made on 29 May 2015.