09 at a glance
- Type
- Premium rate
- Country
- United Kingdom (+44)
- Number format
- 09XX XXX XXXX
- From abroad
- +44 9
- Cost to call
- Access charge set by your phone company plus a service charge set by the service provider, capped under Ofcom's 2015 rules at £3.60 per minute and/or £6.00 per call. Never included in bundles.
Numbers beginning 09 are premium-rate numbers, the most expensive numbers to call in the UK. They are used for services such as competitions, TV voting, adult entertainment, psychic lines, technical support and pay-per-call information services, and the operator receives a share of the charge. Since 1 July 2015 calls are priced as your provider's access charge plus a service charge that must be stated clearly in any promotion. Services on 09 numbers must follow premium-rate rules on pricing and consumer protection. Genuine organisations rarely make outbound calls from 09 numbers, so an incoming call or text urging you to ring one should be treated with caution.
Never call back an unknown 09 number. If you have been charged for a premium-rate service you did not knowingly use, contact your phone company. Many providers let you block calls to 09 numbers.
Who called me from 09?
The prefix tells you what kind of number it is (premium rate), 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.