0870 Numbers

Why an 0870 number helps your organisation

0870 numbers have been used for booking lines and information services, among other things. They give a national presence, and a single 0870 number can serve customers across the UK without revealing where your team is based. For businesses that have built their bookings around an 0870 number, keeping it means no change for regular customers.

As an 087 number, 0870 generally carries a higher service charge than 084 numbers. Some organisations use that service charge to help offset the cost of providing the line. It does mean callers pay more than they would for an 03 number, so think about who is calling and how long the calls usually take. The matching 0370 range is there if you want to keep the digits and lower the cost for callers.

About 0870 numbers

0870 numbers are service numbers in the format 0870 xxx xxxx. Following Ofcom's UK calling changes in July 2015, every call has an access charge, set by the caller's phone company, and a service charge, set by the organisation receiving the call. You must state the service charge wherever the number is advertised, including your website, booking confirmations and adverts. Our team will confirm the service charge for the 0870 number you choose, and can tell you about the matching 0370 number if you are thinking of moving.

Who uses 0870 numbers

Booking lines

Ticketing, travel and holiday businesses have used 0870 numbers for reservations, giving customers one national number to call.

Information lines

Some information lines use 0870, where the service charge helps cover the cost of running the service.

Businesses reviewing an existing 0870 number

If you already have an 0870 number, you can bring it to Alphatalk, keep it running and decide later whether to add or move to 0370.

How your 0870 number works

Calls to your 0870 number can go to any UK landline or mobile, or into Alphatalk's cloud phone system. Booking teams can use time-of-day routing to send calls to the office during opening hours and somewhere else at other times, and the destination can be changed at any time in myAlphaTalk, our customer portal. Voicemail to email captures enquiries when nobody is free, and call statistics show your peak booking times. Every number is £4.99 a month and includes 1,000 free UK minutes. Standard numbers have no setup fee, Silver and Gold numbers are more memorable and carry a one-off charge, and Platinum numbers are priced on application. Buy your number online or port an existing one, and our UK team will confirm the service charge for your chosen number.