Helpful Tips for Using London Telephones

1. Helpful Tips for Using London Telephones

2. The U.K. has quite a complicated telephone system. It’s hard to remember all the codes needed to make phone calls. You can easily get confused. It helps to know a little about how to write these numbers.

3. People often make a mistake when writing London telephone numbers because they do not know the area code. Never forget. London’s area code only has three digits and not four. A standard phone number in London starts with the 3-digit area code. The local number follows with eight digits. London’s area code is 020. Every telephone line in London begins with that number. The Problem with London Telephone Numbers

4. Premium rate numbers begin with 09 followed by nine digits. Calls made with these numbers get charged with incredibly expensive rates. They cost over £1 per minute. They also have IVRs which have long recorded messages that only make matters worse. Watch out for these numbers. Fond of using mobile phones? Be on guard. These numbers also get higher rates than landlines. And you pay for both incoming and outgoing call. Cell phone numbers begin with 07 followed by nine digits. Popular business use non-geographical numbers that start with 08xx xxx xxxx. They also get charged high rates. Some are even considered as premium rate numbers. These numbers begin with 0845, 0870, 0842, 0843, 0844, 0871, 0872 and 0873. London Call Rates

5. Other non-geogrphical numbers begin with 03. Telephone companies charge geographic rates for these numbers. They come bundled with call plans. Finally, be careful with 0500, 0800 and 0808 numbers. People call them free numbers but they are only free when calling from a landline. Mobile numbers get charged for calling these numbers. London Call Rates

6. The British Telecom, or BT, runs most of London’s payphones. There are four different types and they accept credit card payments but charges may go at a higher rate. Each payphone type offers the following services:  Standard calls to mobile phones and landlines  Send text messages and emails to mobile phones  Access to the Internet  Send a text message through an operator or the keypad All payphones can make standard calls. Some payphones have the added functionality of sending text and email messages. Internet kiosks allow access to the Internet. Using London Payphones

7. It’s easy to spot a payphone in Central London. So, if you are staying in hotels near Notting Hill London, you can easily spot payphone. Just look for that iconic red box. These classic payphones still exist but the glass boxes have replaced them in other parts of the U.K. Nowadays, people use phone cards to call with London payphones, but the phones still accept the coins. Some even returns you change if you still have credit after your call.

8. Many hotels near Kensington London like London House Hotel and other parts of the city have landlines in every room. Make use of these services whenever you check in to a hotel because these hotels still charge you a connection fee. They add it up to your hotel bill. Hotel room phones are business phones. Remember to dial 9 before every number when calling out. You could also get a higher charge on connection fees. Limit your calls in the hotel room. Use a prepaid card instead. You can find them in newstands all over London. Calling From Your Hotel Room