0800Buster Dodge mobile networks' costly freephone rates
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Call an 0800, 0808, or 0500 number from a landline and it's free, yet call from a mobile and you might pay a huge 40p/minute. What's more, calls to these numbers are very rarely included in inclusive minutes packages.
The solution? Use a special landline number which connects you to the freephone number, yet only costs the same as a local call, and gets you access to free directory enquiries services too.
0800Buster provides access numbers for making freephone 0800, 0808 and 0500 calls: instead of calling the freephone number directly, you call one of its landline numbers, and then it connects you from that number to your destination.
By doing it this way, you only get charged for a UK landline call, which will be included with free minutes if you have them, rather than paying mobile networks' exorbitant rates.
The table below shows the main networks' standard call costs to 0800, 0808, and 0500 numbers, for both contract and pay as you go customers:
O2 |
Orange(1) |
Vodafone |
T-Mobile |
3 Mobile(2) |
|
| Contract | 20p |
15p |
20p |
40p |
15p |
| Pay As You Go | 15p |
25p |
25p |
40p |
10/15p |
1. Calls to freephone charity numbers are free. 2. Calls to THA registered numbers are free. 10p in video areas, 15p in non-video areas. See three website for more info. |
|||||
Step one: Go to 0800Buster.co.uk and look for the number in the top left hand corner. There are hundreds of numbers, and a random one is chosen each time you visit the site (if you clear your cookies). Hence we haven't listed any specific ones here.
Step two: Save the number on your mobile, so you can bring it up every time you need to phone a freephone number. Call it, and when prompted, tap in the 0800, 0808, or 0500 number you want to connect to, followed by #. You should now be connected.
How does 0800Buster make money?
It receives a tiny amount of money each time you call one of its numbers, and a further small sum when it connects you to the freephone number, so there's no danger of it becoming chargeable in the near future.
Are there any other services that do the same thing?
Yep, another service, QXcall, was set up to do the same thing a while before 0800Buster, but 0800Buster simply has more numbers to play with, making it a better long-term proposition.
Can my mobile network block the number?
Theoretically it can, as most networks reserve the right to block any number they don't like the look of. Yet with so many access numbers available, and the potential of more on the way, it's unlikely they'll want to get into an endless game of cat and mouse.
Thus far there've been no complaints about numbers being blocked, though if you experience this, do please post in the forum discussion, with details of the number you used.
Is it safe to call my bank on it?
The director of 0800Buster has assured us that "We don't intercept, analyse or record any call content, and limit our role to asking what number the user wants to dial and then proxying the call between them". That’s as far as we’ve checked it out though, so you need to decide whether to make these type of calls yourself.
0800buster's a part of Localphone, a private limited company concerned with cheap international calls, and thus it's bound by the same privacy laws and regulations as its parent.
Does it work for 0870/0845 numbers?
No, 0800Buster only works for freephone, rather than paid-for numbers. However, it's usually possible to find geographical alternative numbers for 0870/0845s too. See the full SayNoTo0870 guide for more info.
Can I store freephone numbers with the access code at the beginning?
It should be possible to do this on most phones, though it's not as simple as bashing out all the numbers in a row. To make it work, you need to tell your phone to pause between the sets of numbers, usually represented by a 'p'. Here's how to do it on major manufacturers' handsets (mostly courtesy of the 0800Buster site):
Nokia: Press * three times (or until p appears).
Samsung, Motorola: Press and hold * until p appears.
Sony Ericsson: Press and hold 7 until p appears.
LG: Press and hold # until p appears.
Apple iPhone: Tap the +*# key at the bottom left of the keypad, then when the keyboard changes press the pause button.
The existence of 0800Buster opens up a tidy loophole allowing you to get completely free directory enquiries from your mobile. There's a freephone directory enquiries service, paid for by advertising, that you'll be able to use via the service.
The Number - 0800 118 3733
The number offers a similar service, though here it's all automated, meaning you have to listen to the ad before you ask it for numbers. Also, rather irritatingly, it'll ask you for the address of the company you're looking for by default, and only ask for the area afterwards.
On the upside though, it'll let you grab more than one number per call, so it's the quickest if you need a few.
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