0808 at a glance
- Type
- Freephone
- Country
- United Kingdom (+44)
- Number format
- 0808 XXX XXXX
- From abroad
- +44 808
- Cost to call
- Free to call from UK landlines and mobiles since 1 July 2015.
0808 numbers are freephone numbers, introduced in the late 1990s to add capacity alongside the 0800 range. Calls to them are free from UK landlines and mobiles. The 0808 80 block is used for many not-for-profit helplines, and the 08085 block was offered to organisations moving off the withdrawn 0500 freephone range. You may see 0808 numbers advertised by charities, support services, insurers and retailers. Like 0800 numbers, 0808 numbers are mainly designed for receiving calls, so an incoming call displaying one may be an outbound contact centre or a spoofed caller ID. Verify any unexpected request for money or information.
Calls displaying a helpline or charity 0808 number and asking for donations or personal data should be checked by calling the organisation back on its published number.
Who called me from 0808?
The prefix tells you what kind of number it is (freephone), but not who is behind it. Numbers can be ported between networks and caller ID can be spoofed, so a familiar code is no guarantee. Search the full number to see its current carrier, line type and whether other people have reported it. Read our UK phone number guide for mobile prefixes, networks and the scams currently doing the rounds.