01303 Folkestone Numbers

Why an 01303 number helps your business

Folkestone is a coastal town in east Kent with strong links to London and the continent. High-speed trains run to London St Pancras, and the Channel Tunnel terminal sits on the edge of the town. The regenerated harbour and the Creative Quarter in the old town have drawn artists, independent shops, cafés and creative studios, alongside long-established trades, care providers and tourism businesses.

People in Folkestone and Hythe are more likely to call a number they recognise as local, and more likely to trust the business that answers. An 01303 number gives you that presence without premises in the town. A company in London, Canterbury or Ashford can run an 01303 line from its existing office and pick up east Kent calls on the phones it already uses.

About the 01303 area code

01303 covers Folkestone, Hythe and nearby places including Sandgate, Cheriton, Hawkinge and Lyminge. As a five-digit code, it is followed by a six-digit local number (01303 xxxxxx). Callers abroad dial +44 1303 and then the six digits, which is useful for firms here that deal with customers in France and Belgium.

Take care not to confuse 01303 with 01305. The two codes differ by one digit, but 01305 belongs to Dorchester in Dorset, much further west along the south coast.

Who uses Folkestone numbers

Cross-Channel transport and logistics

Freight forwarders, customs agents, coach operators and vehicle services working around the tunnel terminal and the M20 use an 01303 number so that customers know they are based close to the crossing.

Creative and independent businesses

Studios, galleries, makers and small shops in the Creative Quarter put a local number on their websites and social media, then answer calls on a mobile as they move between the workshop, the market stall and the gallery.

Seaside hospitality

Hotels, guest houses, cafés and holiday lets along the seafront from Sandgate to Hythe use an 01303 number for bookings. Owners who manage a property from elsewhere can still give guests a local number to ring.

How your 01303 number works

An 01303 number has no fixed line behind it. Calls divert to any UK landline or mobile, or to Alphatalk's cloud phone system, and you can change the destination at any time in myAlphaTalk, our customer portal. Set time-of-day routing for your opening hours, get voicemail delivered to your email and check call statistics to track demand through the season. Every number costs £4.99 a month with 1,000 free UK minutes, and Standard numbers have no setup fee.