0845 Numbers

Why an 0845 number helps your organisation

0845 is one of the most familiar non-geographic prefixes in the UK. People have seen it on bills and customer service pages for years, so an 0845 number feels established. For businesses that already use one, keeping it avoids the cost and effort of changing every piece of printed and online material.

As an 084 number, 0845 generally has a lower service charge than 087 numbers, and some businesses use that service charge to help offset the cost of their phone line. Callers do pay more than they would for an 03 number, though, so it is worth weighing up. If you want to keep the familiar digits but make calls cheaper, the matching 0345 number exists for exactly that purpose.

About 0845 numbers

0845 numbers are service numbers in the format 0845 xxx xxxx. Since Ofcom's UK calling changes in July 2015, callers pay two parts: an access charge set by their own phone company and a service charge set by the organisation they are calling. Wherever you advertise an 0845 number, you must state its service charge. 0845 numbers have a matching 03 range, 0345, which keeps the same last digits but is charged like a normal landline call. Our team will confirm the service charge for any 0845 number you choose.

Who uses 0845 numbers

Long-standing customer service lines

Businesses that have published an 0845 number for many years often keep it, so regular customers can still get through on the number they know.

Account and billing enquiries

Some companies use an 0845 number for account queries, with one national number printed on every statement and letter.

Businesses planning a gradual move to 0345

You can keep your 0845 number running while you introduce the matching 0345 number, then phase the old one out when you are ready.

How your 0845 number works

Your 0845 number can divert to any UK landline or mobile, or straight into Alphatalk's cloud phone system. You can change the destination at any time in myAlphaTalk, our customer portal, which is handy if you move office or change how your team works. Time-of-day routing covers opening hours and out-of-hours calls, voicemail is sent to email, and call statistics show how many people call and when. Each number is £4.99 a month and includes 1,000 free UK minutes. There is no setup fee for Standard numbers, Silver and Gold numbers are more memorable and carry a one-off charge, and Platinum numbers are priced on application. If your 0845 number is with another provider, you can port it to Alphatalk. Our UK team will confirm the service charge and set everything up.