Need to make a cheap call to London

JC1440

From Hull. Can anyone recommend how I can go about this, please? Call will last thirty minutes. Do I need to buy some kind of phone card? It's landline to landline. Thanks!

Ian011

Calls to 01 and 02 geographic numbers haven't been differentiated into 'local rate' and 'national rate' on most landline networks since 2004. Calls to anywhere in the UK, excluding Channel Islands and Isle of Man, are usually charged at the same rate.

Most landlines have inclusive calls to 01, 02 and 03 numbers and most have these on an anytime call plan. If you have inclusive calls only at the weekend, calls during the week will be extortionate - perhaps 10p per minute plus about 16p per call.

You didn't mention what type of call plan is in force on your landline.

A_Nice_Englishman

If you're calling from your own landline and can't use your inclusive calls as descbed by Ian sign up to http://www.call18866.co.uk/index2.php and the call will cost 5p regardless of duration.

A_Nice_Englishman

Just noticed you're in Hull so probably on Kingston Telecom? If so,above advice probably not applicable. Sorry!

The_Groat_Counter

18866 and 18185 should work from Kingston Communications landlines too the same as BT.

(Until very recently there was a regulatory requirement for BT and KCom to provide access to such services - that requirement has now gone, but they haven't been blocked... at least not yet.)

System

The_Groat_Counter wrote: »

18866 and 18185 should work from Kingston Communications landlines too the same as BT.

(Until very recently there was a regulatory requirement for BT and KCom to provide access to such services - that requirement has now gone, but they haven't been blocked... at least not yet.)

From 18185

If you are dialling the 18185 prefix please ensure you are calling from a BT line; only BT landlines in the United Kingdom or Northern Ireland can use our service via the 18185 code.

NTL, Telewest, TalkTalk, Kingston Communications, Jersey Telecom customers and any other landline provider or mobile customers should use 0808 170 7788 (or 020 81 80 2828 from mobiles) to make a call.

The_Groat_Counter

Thanks !!!!!! - my mistake. I guess 18185 (or rather the company behind it) decided they weren't going to bother with setting up access via the short number for KCom customers, even if it was an option available to them.

Ian011

!!!!!! wrote: »

From 18185

NTL, Telewest, TalkTalk, Kingston Communications, Jersey Telecom customers and any other landline provider or mobile customers should use 0808 170 7788 (or 020 81 80 2828 from mobiles) to make a call.

Since 1 July 2015, the 0808 number is also free from mobiles, making the 020 access number obsolete.

System

You also need to use 0808 number on 18866 for KC as well

The_Groat_Counter

Ian011 wrote: »

Calls to 01 and 02 geographic numbers haven't been differentiated into 'local rate' and 'national rate' on most landline networks since 2004. ...

Aha, but this is where Kingston Communications (in Hull) doesn't count as 'most landline networks'!

All their current tariffs include unlimited local calls as standard, but that doesn't apply to national calls - whether you get any inclusive calls to (non-local) UK numbers depends on which tariff you subscribe to (and with the most basic tariff you don't get any, apart from 60 minutes to UK mobiles on weekend evenings!):
www.kc.co.uk/products/phone/

This page details the cost of calls from KC lines:
www.kc.co.uk/help-and-support/articles/how-much-is-the-cost-of-a-call/

Ian011

In which case, you need to work out how many minutes of calls at the non-inclusive per-minute rate you can make per month before this becomes more expensive than each of the various inclusive call plans and then compare this with how many calls you actually make.

Most people find they need an anytime inclusive call plan. Anyone making more than about 10 to 20 minutes of weekday, daytime, calls per week will soon find this is the cheapest option.