0844 at a glance
- Type
- Non-geographic
- Country
- United Kingdom (+44)
- Number format
- 0844 XXX XXXX
- From abroad
- +44 844
- Cost to call
- Access charge set by your phone company plus a service charge of up to 7p per minute and/or 7p per call. Not included in inclusive minutes.
0844 numbers were introduced in 2000 and became widely used by companies for customer service, cinemas and ticket lines, and some GP surgeries. Under the unbundled tariff introduced on 1 July 2015, a call costs your phone company's access charge plus the organisation's service charge, which for 084 numbers is capped at 7p per minute and/or 7p per call. Part of the service charge goes to the organisation or its provider. Guidance on NHS GP contracts has discouraged practices from using numbers that cost patients more than a geographic call. Calls from 0844 numbers can be spoofed, so verify unexpected callers.
Look for the service charge in the advert for an 0844 number. If it is missing, or the number claims to be the only route to a public service, look for an alternative.
Who called me from 0844?
The prefix tells you what kind of number it is (service number (084)), 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.