How to call +800 / 00800 UIFNs free of charge

NFH

Calls to Universal International Freephone Numbers (UIFNs) with a +800 country code are paid by the called party, similar to a UK domestic 0800 number. There is supposed to be no charge to the caller, given that the called party is already paying for the call.

When I had a fixed line several years ago, I could call UIFNs free of charge from that, but it now seems that most call providers either charge the caller (despite receiving revenue from the called party) or they don't support the numbers at all. For example:

• Three used to charge 10p/min, then stopped supporting UIFNs, and more recently started supporting them and charging again.
• Skype says "The number you have entered is invalid".
• FreeVoipDeal says "The number you are trying to call is not supported".
• Google Voice says "We could not complete your call".
• Tuenti, my Spanish SIM card for which I have a VOIP app, requires credit to make a call.

Is there any way, including UK SIM cards and VOIP services, via which calls can be made to UIFNs at no charge to the caller?

Examples of UIFNs are:

• Apple - when you speak to Apple's technical support and get through to a senior advisor, the contact number they give is 00800 2775 2775 followed by a 7-digit extension number.
• Europe Direct, the European Commission's enquiry service for citizens, on +800 6 7 8 9 10 11