0870 and 0845 now free on BT landlines

January 8, 2017

BT has announced that calls to 0870 and 0845 numbers from BT landlines will be free from 16th January.

The decision – which will cost BT £24 million per year – was made in response to customer frustration at charges on these telephone numbers.

It will benefit the 14 million BT customers who subscribe to BT’s call packaging deals.

Banks, building societies, utilities, insurance companies and doctors surgeries all use the numbers for their customer service lines, with calls currently costing up to 5.8p per minute for BT customers.

BT pointed out that it is the first company to include 0870 and 0845 numbers in its call packages, adding that some of its competitors charge up to 10p per minute for day-time calls to these numbers.

John Petter, BT’s director of consumer business, said he hoped BT’s decision would take the sting out of customer service phone calls.

Alternatives to 0870 and 0845 numbers can be found at consumer rights website, SayNoTo0870.com.