First, understand that UK telephone numbers are divided into geographic and non-geographic. 0845 was introduced in 1996 and falls under non-geographic, and others beginning with 01, 02 and 03 are geographic. In fact, most companies in the UK, especially banks and utility facilities depend on 0845 as it allows them to make money on the incoming calls. There are many other reasons to use the range – buy your personal 0845 number now. For that reason, this number is often used for:
• Conference call services
• Chargeable information and support lines
• Pre-sales information lines
• Travel booking services
0845 Call Costs
The problem that comes with using 0845 from abroad is that it results in higher charges for the consumer. More so, a local international provider will either block calls or charge a premium fee. There are two main charges that apply when calling this number. The first one is charged by your home phone company through the per-minute standard rates. The second one is a variable service charge directed to the company you are calling.
The organisation you plan to contact should inform you of the rates that may apply before making the call. Most 0845 costs will fall anywhere between 8p and 62p per minute. In many cases, these numbers will cost you more than a normal landline. More so, the numbers are not included in any free call allowances in your tariff. However, the calls for normal UK charges are here.
Interconnect Agreements
International courier companies sign agreements on the types of traffic they can allow to pass between them. The complex commercial contracts are referred to as interconnect agreements. All of them cover interconnection of normal geographic numbers in the different countries. It means you would easily connect to a UK line, beginning with any geographic number from any part of the world.
The geographic numbers are fully supported because they cover all standard phones across the UK. However, calls to 0845 are not always included in the agreements, and when they are, the charges are often extortionate. Ideally, there is no guarantee that you will connect to the non-geographic number from abroad.
The Alternative to NGNs
If your calls fail to go through using 0845 or the charges are too high, the only choice you have is to find an alternative. Normally, all NGNs connect to the geographic numbers. Most company websites provide a different number one can use to contact them from abroad. If the number is not made available, one can make use of SAYNOTO0870 website to find a geographic one to use in the place of the NGN. Once this number is found, the call should be made using DialAbroad Euro.
1. Buy airtime for the country the city you intend to call.
2. Get a one-time pin immediately by text message.
3. Dial the local access number and once prompted fill in the geographic number to call.
All numbers beginning with 084 come with the same charges and technical features. These include 08450, 08451, 08456, 08457 and all others starting with 0845, regardless of the digits that follow. Although there is an extensive use of the numbers, research shows that most people are confused about what they can use them for and how much it costs to call.
