0800.Free to dial. Pays for itself.
Caller pays nothing. Inbound volume goes up. You pay 2.5p–6p/min. The maths is easy.
UK freephone — caller costs zero pence, you cover the inbound rate. Best ROI when inbound calls drive real revenue (sales, complaints, support that wins customers). From £10/mo rental ex VAT, inbound from 2.5p/min on UK landline traffic.
- Free to caller
- Same-day allocation
- Self-service port-in
- Inbound cap available
- Per-campaign tracking
- Routes into VoiceCloud
Typical lift in inbound volume vs a charged number.
The drop in caller-cost friction is the single biggest lever for inbound call volume. If your conversion rate per inbound call is decent, 0800 pays back the rental + inbound usage many times over.
Four reasons to pay for the caller's call.
The classic argument for 0800: 'free for the caller increases pickup.' Modern research is more nuanced — it's about who's calling and why.
Higher inbound volume
Free-to-caller numbers consistently get 30–50% more inbound calls than charged numbers. If inbound = revenue, the maths is obvious.
Signals 'safe to call'
Hesitant callers (older demographic, complaints, support) reach for freephone. Removes the 'will this cost me?' friction.
Premium brand perception
0800 still carries a 'serious business' read — used by banks, utilities, big retailers. A small brand can borrow that signal for £10/mo.
Easy ROI to measure
Per-minute inbound cost = direct line to attribution. £80/mo inbound usage that drives £8,000 of revenue is a no-brainer. Track per campaign for clarity.
What inbound costs you. By caller origin.
0800 inbound is billed per-second after a 30-second minimum. Different rates by where the caller is dialling from.
| Caller origin | Per-minute (ex VAT) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
UK landline | 2.5p/min | Most common inbound type. 60–70% of typical 0800 traffic. |
UK mobile | 4.5p/min | Higher proportion since mobile-only households. Ofcom rules force carriers to include in bundles. |
BT payphone | 6.0p/min | Marginal in 2026. Counted separately, charged higher. |
International inbound | Varies | 0800 is UK-only freephone. International callers need to dial +44 8XX and pay their carrier's international rate. |
Rates billed per-second after a 30-second minimum-call charge. Volume discounts kick in at 5,000+ inbound minutes/month — let us know if you're operating at that scale.
200 inbound calls.
£25 total per month.
Typical small-business 0800 line: 200 inbound calls/month, averaging 3 minutes each. Mix of UK landline + mobile callers. Total monthly cost works out at £25 — less than most takeaways' phone-system maintenance.
- Rental£10.00Monthly fixed
- Inbound 600 mins£15.00Weighted 2.5p mobile/landline mix
- Total£25.00Ex VAT, all-in
- Per call£0.13Avg per 3-min call
Indicative numbers for a customer-service line; busy sales lines run higher volume. We bill per-second after the 30-second minimum, so short calls don't disproportionately cost.
When 0800 makes sense
- Inbound calls drive direct revenue (sales line, bookings, quotes)
- Caller demographic skews older / cost-conscious
- You want a 'serious business' premium signal
- Complaint / regulated industry where caller-friction is bad PR
When it doesn't
- Pure technical-support line — callers are already engaged, 0330 is cheaper
- Low-margin business where inbound volume could swamp the line economics
Where 0800 earns its keep.
Sales / booking line
Free-to-caller on the website CTA, paid-ads landing page, leaflets. Reduces hesitation at the friction point that matters.
Customer service
Complaints + support skew older-demographic and cost-anxious. 0800 removes the 'is this gonna cost me?' friction at the worst moment.
Recruitment / careers
Candidates calling about jobs often dial from a personal mobile. Free-to-caller signals 'we want to hear from you'.
Pair an 0800 with a memorable Gold number for max marketing.
Standard 0800 = £10/mo + inbound. Gold memorable 0800 (0800 XXX XXXX repeats / palindromes) = £50–500 setup, same monthly. For van-side advertising, billboards, or radio, the memorability pays back in the first month.
See Gold numbersReal questions, honest answers.
Caller dials zero. Volume goes up.
£10/mo rental. 2.5–6p/min inbound. Same-day allocation. Routes into VoiceCloud or any SIP endpoint. Cap inbound spend if you want a hard ceiling.