The foodbank landline number has changed to: 0300 10 20 110. This has been set up by Core Telecom who offer free phone lines to charities at no cost.
03 Numbers were introduced by OFCOM to clear up varying (and often confusing) call costs to most 08 numbers. Any call to a 03 number is charged at exactly the same rate as any call to a 01 or 02 landline. This effectively makes the call free from any mobile or landline with bundled minutes.
Many UK charities and public bodies have operated 0800 numbers for their advice and helplines as these are ‘Freephone’, but new operating charges have meant an 0800 is now significantly more expensive to operate. In 2015 all calls to 0800 numbers, including from mobiles were made free, but the cost was passed onto the organisations who operate them.
Many providers of 0800 numbers have now added a surcharge of up to 7p per minute for all calls that originate from a mobile. None of these extra costs are associated with the 03 range.
OFCOM has reserved the 0300 range for charities, non-profit organisations and the public sector. They were introduced to: “Increase certainty, trust and confidence in the numbers that consumers use to call public services and voluntary services” – OFCOM
The cost to call an 0300 number costs the same as any call to a 01 or 02 landline, even from a mobile phone. This makes the calls effectively free from most phones as they are included within all monthly minute bundles.
They offer all the benefits of any 08 number, but without the often-confusing call costs and increased charges to host them.
Some of the UK’s leading charities and public sector bodies are now using 0300 numbers for their main inbound numbers, helplines and fundraising campaigns.