Phone help
What an 0333 number is, what it costs and who should have one
An 0333 number is a UK national phone number that belongs to no town. By Ofcom’s rules it costs the caller no more than an 01 or 02 call and comes out of their inclusive minutes. Below: how the 03 ranges differ, what a call costs, how 0333 compares with 0330, 0345, 0800 and 0845, what a business pays to have one, and how to divert it to a mobile or an answering service. The facts come from Ofcom, GOV.UK and providers’ own price pages.
The basics
What 03 numbers are
Every UK phone number sits in a range that Ofcom sets out in the National Telephone Numbering Plan. 01 and 02 numbers are geographic: 020 is London, 029 is Cardiff. 03 numbers are the UK-wide non-geographic range, which Ofcom introduced as an alternative to chargeable 08 numbers such as 0870, so an organisation could have a single national point of contact without the caller paying extra to reach it (Ofcom, what are 03 numbers?).
Inside the 03 range the next digits say who may hold the number. The numbering plan designates 0300 for public sector bodies and not-for-profit bodies, 033 as general non-geographic numbers anyone can take, 034 for numbers migrated from the matching 084 number and 037 for numbers migrated from the matching 087 number (Ofcom, National Telephone Numbering Plan). A provider may only give a 0300 number to a body that meets Ofcom’s eligibility guidance (Ofcom, bodies eligible to use 030 numbers). HMRC’s Self Assessment helpline is 0300 200 3310 (GOV.UK) and Ofcom’s switchboard is 0300 123 3000; a plumber or a driving school cannot have a number like that and would be offered 0330 or 0333 instead.
A “03333 phone number” is simply an 0333 number whose fourth digit is also a 3. It sits in the same range and costs the same to call; providers charge a one-off fee for memorable runs of digits, and that is the only difference.
For the caller
Are 0333 numbers free, and what does a call cost?
An 0333 call is free when the caller has inclusive minutes left, and charged at their ordinary landline rate when they do not. Ofcom’s rules say calls to 03 numbers cost no more than a national rate call to an 01 or 02 number and must count towards inclusive minutes in the same way, from any type of line, including mobiles, BT, other fixed lines and payphones (Ofcom).
Outside a bundle, Ofcom’s call cost guide gives indicative figures for 01, 02 and 03 calls: from a landline, typically up to 16p a minute, with many providers adding a 23p call set-up fee; from a mobile, typically included in the package, and otherwise between 3p and 65p a minute depending on the plan (Ofcom, call costs guide). Ofcom calls those figures indicative; the exact cost depends on your provider, plan and the time of day.
Revenue sharing, where the organisation being called gets a cut of what the caller pays, is not allowed on 03 numbers (Ofcom), so nobody on the receiving end earns anything from your call.
Within the 03 range
0333 vs 0330 vs 0345 vs 0370
To the person dialling, there is no difference: every 03 number costs the same to call and counts towards inclusive minutes in the same way. The differences are at the other end of the line.
- 0330 and 0333 are open to any business. Providers sell both; one lists 0330 under “national” next to 0300 under “non-profit” (Voipfone), another sells 0333 (Tamar Telecom). If you are starting from nothing this is the whole choice, so pick whichever you can get a memorable run of.
- 0345 and 0370 cannot be bought fresh. The numbering plan says a provider may only use a 034 or 037 number for a customer migrating from an 084 or 087 number that is identical except for the second digit, and must not use one where no matching 084 or 087 number is in use (Ofcom, numbering plan, B3.2.3). That is why so many organisations that once advertised an 0845 number now have the same digits on 0345: they had the 0845 first. Ofcom notes that many public sector bodies made exactly that move (Ofcom).
- 0300 is reserved for public bodies and charities, as above.
Who pays
0333 vs 0800 and 0808
Freephone 0800 and 0808 numbers are free to call from all consumer landlines and mobiles; callers on a business line should check with their provider (Ofcom). The call still has to be paid for, and on a freephone number the business receiving it covers the inbound call charges (Tamar Telecom). On an 0333 number the caller’s own plan absorbs the call and the business pays a flat monthly price for the number and the forwarding.
So the decision is about your callers. A national helpline that wants every possible call, including from people with no credit on a pay as you go phone, has a case for 0800. A trade or a driving school whose callers ring from a contract mobile with minutes to spare gives nothing up with 0333 and avoids an inbound bill that rises with every call.
The old numbers
0333 vs 0845 and 0870
084 and 087 numbers are service numbers, and the cost of calling one has two parts: an access charge that goes to the caller’s phone company, from 8p to 67p a minute depending on the provider, and a service charge set by the organisation being called, between 0p and 7p a minute on 0843, 0844 and 0845 and between 0p and 13p a minute on 087 numbers (Ofcom, call costs guide). The service charge must be shown wherever the number is advertised, and these calls never come out of inclusive minutes. Ofcom’s provider table shows what that adds up to: an O2 or Three customer pays a 65p a minute access charge before the service charge is added.
A visible per-minute charge and no inclusive minutes are why 0845 and 0870 fell out of favour. The 03 range was Ofcom’s answer, and 0345 and 0370 exist so an organisation could keep the last eight digits printed on years of paperwork while dropping the charge. A new business has no reason to take an 084 or 087 number today, and some of the people you want to hear from will not ring one.
Side by side
UK number prefixes: who can use each one and what the caller pays
| Prefix | Who can use it | What the caller pays | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 and 02 | Anyone; tied to an area (020 London, 029 Cardiff) | Landline up to 16p a minute, often a 23p set-up fee; mobile 3p to 65p a minute outside inclusive minutes | Homes and local businesses |
| 0300 | Public sector and not-for-profit bodies only | No more than an 01 or 02 call; in inclusive minutes | HMRC, Ofcom, councils, charities |
| 0330 and 0333 | Any business or organisation | No more than an 01 or 02 call; in inclusive minutes | One national number for any size of company |
| 0345 and 0370 | Only an organisation moving from the matching 0845 or 0870 number | No more than an 01 or 02 call; in inclusive minutes | Banks, insurers and public bodies formerly on 0845 or 0870 |
| 0800 and 0808 | Any business or organisation | Nothing from a consumer landline or mobile; business lines may be charged | Sales lines, helplines, charities |
| 0843, 0844, 0845 | Any business or organisation | Service charge 0p to 7p a minute plus access charge 8p to 67p a minute; never in inclusive minutes | Older sales and enquiry lines |
| 0870, 0871, 0872 | Any business or organisation | Service charge 0p to 13p a minute plus access charge 8p to 67p a minute; never in inclusive minutes | Older sales and enquiry lines |
Caller prices are Ofcom’s indicative figures from its call costs guide, last updated 31 January 2025; eligibility is from the National Telephone Numbering Plan in force from 22 April 2025.
For the business
What a business pays for an 0333 number
An 0333 number is sold as a virtual number: there is no line behind it, and the provider forwards each call to the landline, mobile or app you name. The monthly price buys the number plus an allowance of forwarded minutes. These are the figures two UK providers published on the day we read their pages.
- Tamar Telecom lists 0333 numbers from £5 a month plus VAT with 2,000 minutes forwarded to a landline or mobile, £10 a month plus VAT (99p for the first three months) with 4,000 minutes, and £20 a month plus VAT for unlimited minutes, all on a one-month rolling basis (Tamar Telecom, 0333 numbers).
- Number Supermarket lists 0330 numbers at £14.99 a month plus VAT after two free months with 500 inbound minutes, or £24.99 a month plus VAT with 1,000 minutes and four call features, both on a 12-month minimum term, and £497 plus VAT to own a number outright. Forwarded calls beyond the allowance are 6p a minute to a landline and 15p to a mobile; memorable numbers are £199 plus VAT on top (Number Supermarket, 0330 numbers).
Before you sign, check where the minutes go, because an allowance “to a landline” may not cover forwarding to a mobile, and the mobile rate is the one a sole trader will actually pay. Check the contract length, which on the two pages above runs from one month to twelve. Check for a set-up fee; neither of these two charges one. And check that you can take the number with you when you leave, which by Ofcom’s rules you can, though some providers say so and some do not mention it.
The case for one
Why businesses use 0333 numbers
The number is not tied to anywhere. A firm in Poole that covers Dorset, Hampshire and Wiltshire can print one number on the van and the website, and a customer in Salisbury does not see a Bournemouth code and assume the call-out will cost more. The number follows the business if it moves and ports between providers.
Then there is what it says to the caller. Public bodies and large organisations use 03 numbers, as HMRC’s 0300 helpline and the 0345 numbers that replaced 0845 show, so an 0333 number reads as an established organisation. Whether that matters depends on the trade; a local 01202 number can carry more trust for a plumber whose customers want someone nearby, and many businesses keep both.
Getting one
How to get an 0333 number and how to move it
You buy an 0333 number from a telecoms provider, choose where it should forward to, and it is normally live the same day; the two providers above say the same day and within two working hours. There is no line to install.
Moving an 0333 number to another provider is a port, and there is no PAC code. The gaining provider asks you to sign a Letter of Authority, sends it to the losing provider, and the two agree a date; the number keeps working in the meantime. The steps, the paperwork that gets rejected and the timings are in our number porting guide, which covers 03 and 0800 numbers alongside landlines and mobiles.
Diverting it
Does an 0333 number work with call divert and an answering service?
Yes, because forwarding is the whole mechanism. An 0333 number has no handset of its own, so the provider sends every call to a destination you set in its control panel: your mobile, a landline, a desk phone over the internet, or an app. So the call divert codes that work on a mobile apply to the mobile the call lands on; the 0333 number itself is changed in the panel. The two layers stack: the 0333 provider forwards the call to your mobile, and the mobile’s no-answer divert sends it on again if you do not pick up. Our guide to call forwarding explains the difference.
A call answering service fits in the same way. While You Work gives each customer a local 01 or 02 number to divert to, and a customer’s own 0333 number can be diverted to it. You set the 0333 number to forward to the number we give you, for every call or only the calls you cannot answer, and an AI receptionist answers in your business name, takes the caller’s details and emails them to you. The 0333 number stays with your provider and stays on your van.
Questions
0333 number FAQs
What is an 0333 number?
A UK-wide non-geographic number. Ofcom introduced the 03 range as an alternative to chargeable 08 numbers, so an organisation could have one national number that costs no more to call than an 01 or 02 number. 0333 is the part of the range any business can use.
Are 0333 numbers free to call?
Free if you have inclusive minutes left, otherwise charged at your standard landline rate. Ofcom’s rules say a call to any 03 number costs no more than an 01 or 02 call and counts towards inclusive minutes in the same way, from a mobile, a landline or a payphone.
How much does it cost to call an 0333 number from a mobile?
The same as calling a landline on your plan. Ofcom’s guide says 01 and 02 calls are typically included in mobile packages and otherwise cost between 3p and 65p a minute; 03 calls follow the same rate.
What is the difference between 0330, 0333 and 0345?
Nothing for the caller. The difference is who may hold the number: 0330 and 0333 are open to anyone, 0345 and 0370 are reserved for organisations moving from the matching 0845 or 0870 number, and 0300 is for public sector and not-for-profit bodies.
Is an 0333 number better than an 0800 number?
It depends who you want to pay for the call. An 0800 call is free to the caller and the business covers the cost. An 0333 call comes out of the caller’s inclusive minutes and the business pays a flat monthly price, which for a small business is usually what decides it.
How much does an 0333 number cost a business?
Prices vary by provider. On 31 October 2026 Tamar Telecom listed 0333 numbers from £5 a month plus VAT with 2,000 forwarded minutes, and Number Supermarket listed 0330 numbers at £14.99 a month plus VAT after two free months, or £497 plus VAT to own one outright.
Can I divert an 0333 number to my mobile?
Yes. An 0333 number has no line of its own; the provider sends each call on to the landline, mobile or app you choose. Plans include a set number of forwarded minutes and charge per minute after that, so check the mobile rate.
Can I keep my 0333 number if I change provider?
Yes. Non-geographic numbers port between providers with a signed Letter of Authority rather than a PAC code; our number porting guide covers the paperwork and the delays.
Sources
All pages read on 31 October 2026. Ofcom’s indicative prices and providers’ price lists change, so check the latest version.
- Ofcom: Call costs guide (How much does a phone call really cost?), What are 03 numbers?, The National Telephone Numbering Plan (version in force from 22 April 2025), Telecoms numbering and Guidance on bodies eligible to use 030 telephone numbers
- GOV.UK: Self Assessment: general enquiries (HMRC contact details)
- Tamar Telecom: 0333 numbers
- Number Supermarket: Buy 0330 numbers
- Voipfone: UK phone numbers
Whatever number is on the van, stop missing the calls to it
From £39 a month plus VAT. A call counts once, up to 10 minutes. No contract, and cancel within 14 days of your line going live for a full refund.