How can I find out who called me from a UK number for free?

Type the number into the checker on the page — it is free, no signup. You will see whether the number is valid, what type it is (mobile, landline, freephone, premium), the geographic area for 01/02 numbers, and the original Ofcom range holder (the provider it was first allocated to).

Are 0800 numbers free from mobile phones?

Yes. Since 1 July 2015, all UK consumer mobile contracts must offer 0800 and 0808 calls completely free, the same as from a landline. This applies to EE, O2, Three, Vodafone, Sky Mobile, Tesco Mobile, BT Mobile, giffgaff and every other UK MNO and MVNO.

Are 0333 numbers free?

No — but they are cheap. 0333 numbers cost the same as a standard 01 or 02 call, including from mobiles, and are included in any inclusive minutes you have. So in practice, on most modern phone plans, calling 0333 is free. Same applies to 0300, 0330, 0345 and 0370.

Is an 0300 number free from a mobile?

No — 0300 numbers are charged at the standard geographic rate (same as 01/02). They are included in inclusive mobile minutes on every major UK plan, so in practice you pay nothing extra. 0300 is reserved for the NHS, government departments, councils and registered charities.

How many digits is a UK phone number?

A standard UK phone number is 10 or 11 digits including the leading 0. UK mobiles are always 11 digits (e.g. 07700 900123). UK landlines are usually 11 digits, with London (020), Cardiff (029), Belfast (028) and a few others being 10. Internationally, drop the leading 0 and prefix with +44.

What is the UK area / country code?

The UK country code is +44 (sometimes written 0044). To dial a UK number from abroad, drop the leading 0 from the national format and prefix with +44 — so 020 7946 0958 becomes +44 20 7946 0958. Inside the UK, area codes start with 01 or 02 (e.g. 020 London, 0161 Manchester, 0121 Birmingham).

What is an area code?

A UK area code is the first part of a geographic landline number (the 020 in 020 7946 0958) that identifies the town or city the number was originally allocated to. They begin with 01 or 02, are usually 3-5 digits long, and Ofcom maintains the official allocation list — which our checker uses live.

Who called me from 0204?

The 0204 range is a London (020) overlay number, allocated by Ofcom from 2018 onwards as the original 0203 / 0207 / 0208 ranges filled up. Type the full 11-digit 0204 number into the checker on this page to see the original range holder (the provider it was first allocated to).

How do I know if a UK phone number is real?

Paste it into the checker on this page. If it is a real number it will match an Ofcom-allocated block and we will show you the type and range holder. If it does not match any block, it is either spoofed or invalid. Spoofing is the most common scam tactic — fake numbers fail this check instantly.

How much does an 0808 number cost to call?

0808 numbers are free to call from any UK landline or mobile — they are part of the freephone family alongside 0800. Since 1 July 2015 all UK mobile providers are required by Ofcom to make these calls completely free of charge, with no service charge or access charge.

How do I find out who called me from a UK number?

Type the number into the checker on this page. It is free, instant, and works for any UK number. You get the range holder (the communications provider Ofcom originally allocated the block to), the number type (mobile, landline, freephone, premium-rate, etc.), the geographic area for 01/02 numbers, and a risk flag for known scam-prone ranges.

How can I find out who called me from a mobile phone, for free?

Use the checker on this page — it is 100% free, no signup. It works for both UK mobile numbers (07-prefix) and UK landlines. Long-press the missed call number in your call history, copy it, paste into the checker. You will see what type of number called you and which UK provider holds the range.

Whose telephone number is this? (UK)

Our checker shows you the range holder — the UK communications provider the number was originally allocated to by Ofcom. That is the most reliable public-data answer to "whose number is this" in the UK. For specific individual or business names you would need a paid people-finder service like 192.com, BT Phonebook or Truecaller.

Is this number a scam? How can I tell?

Our checker flags any number in a known high-risk Ofcom range — particularly 070 personal numbers and certain 09 premium-rate ranges — with a Risk: High warning. Common scam signs: unsolicited missed calls from 070 or 09 numbers (do not call back), spoofed numbers that fail validity checks, withheld or international numbers claiming to be government departments.

Is reverse phone lookup safe?

Yes — using our checker is completely safe. You type a number, we match it against the official Ofcom UK numbering data we host ourselves, and show you the number type, geographic area and original range holder. We never ask you to sign up, install an app, hand over your own number, or pay. The person you are looking up is not notified, and we do not store or sell your search. Be wary of "free reverse lookup" sites that demand your card details or a download before showing a result — those are the unsafe ones; ours shows the answer instantly on the page.

Does reverse phone lookup actually work in the UK?

For UK numbers, yes — within the limits of what is legally public. The UK has no public directory of who owns a specific mobile, so any service promising a named individual for a 07 number is misleading. What genuinely works, and what our checker gives you, is the verifiable public data: whether the number is valid, its type (mobile, landline, freephone, premium-rate, etc.), the geographic area for 01/02 numbers, the Ofcom range holder, and a risk flag for scam-prone ranges. That is enough to identify nuisance callers, spot spoofed or premium-rate numbers, and decide whether to call back.

Are reverse phone lookup services free and legit in the UK?

Ours is 100% free and legit — no signup, no card, no app, powered by the official Ofcom numbering dataset we re-import every Wednesday. Many "free reverse phone lookup" sites in reviews are US-focused (relying on US public records that do not exist for UK numbers) or use "free" as bait before a paywall. For UK numbers, a legitimate free tool can reliably tell you the number type, area and provider/range holder — which is exactly what this checker does — but no legitimate UK service can hand you a private individual's name for a mobile, because that data is not public here.

Are 0800 and 0808 numbers really free from mobile phones?

Yes — completely free. Since 1 July 2015, all UK consumer mobile contracts must offer 0800 and 0808 calls free of charge, the same as from a landline. This applies to EE, O2, Three, Vodafone and every UK MVNO including Sky Mobile, Tesco Mobile, BT Mobile and giffgaff. There is no service charge and no access charge.

Are 0333, 0330, 0300, 0345 and 0370 numbers free?

No — but they are cheap and usually included in your minutes. All 03 numbers are charged at the same rate as a standard 01 or 02 call, including from mobiles, and they are included in any inclusive minutes you have on your tariff. So on most modern plans, calling them costs nothing extra.

How much does an 0808 number cost to call?

Zero. 0808 is always free from any UK landline and mobile. It is part of the same freephone family as 0800. There is no service charge and no access charge for the caller. The receiving business pays for the call.

Are 084, 087 and 09 numbers expensive?

Yes — these are service number ranges with a service charge on top of your provider access charge: 084 numbers up to 7p/min, 087 numbers up to 13p/min, 09 premium rate up to GBP3.60/min, 070 personal numbering often GBP1+/min. Your provider access charge is a separate per-minute fee, typically 5p-65p/min.

How many digits does a UK phone number have?

A standard UK phone number is 10 or 11 digits including the leading 0. UK mobiles are always 11 digits, starting 07. UK geographic landlines are usually 11 digits but London (020), Cardiff (029), Belfast (028) and some others use 10. Non-geographic numbers (03, 05, 08, 09) are always 11 digits.

What is the UK country code / international dialling code?

The UK country code is +44 (sometimes written 0044). To dial a UK number from abroad, drop the leading 0 from the national format and prefix with +44. So 020 7946 0958 becomes +44 20 7946 0958, and 07700 900123 becomes +44 7700 900123.

What does a UK mobile phone number look like?

A genuine UK mobile is 11 digits, starts with 07, and the next digit is 4, 5, 7, 8 or 9 (so 074, 075, 077, 078 or 079). Example: 07700 900123. Internationally written: +44 7700 900123. Note: 070 is NOT a mobile (it is personal numbering, often used for scams) and 076 is reserved for pagers.

What is a UK area code?

A UK area code is the first 3-5 digits of a geographic landline number (the 020 in 020 7946 0958) that identifies the town, city or region the number was originally allocated to. They begin with 01 or 02. Examples: 020 London, 0161 Manchester, 0121 Birmingham, 0131 Edinburgh, 0141 Glasgow, 0151 Liverpool.

What is a "range holder" — and why does it matter?

The range holder is the UK communications provider (BT, Gamma, Vodafone, Sky, Mainline, Virtual1, etc.) that Ofcom originally allocated a block of numbers to. It is the most reliable public clue about who really runs the number. Numbers can be ported after allocation, but the range holder is the standard industry reference.

What is the difference between 03, 0800, 0844 and 09 numbers?

03 numbers are non-geographic but charged at the same rate as 01/02 (included in inclusive minutes). 0800/0808 (freephone) are completely free for the caller. 0844/084 numbers carry up to 7p/min service charge. 0871/087 carry up to 13p/min. 09 (premium rate) carries up to GBP3.60/min — all plus your provider access charge.

Why am I getting calls from numbers starting 0204, 0203 or 0207?

All three are London (020) numbers — different overlay allocations Ofcom has opened over time as the original blocks filled up. 0207 was the first London allocation in 2000, 0208 covers Outer London, 0203 opened in 2005 for capacity, 0204 opened from 2018. Functionally they are all London — same call cost.

What is an 070 number?

070 is "personal numbering" — NOT a mobile, despite starting with 07. It is a forwarding service: a person buys an 070 number which then forwards to any other phone. Calls to 070 numbers are significantly more expensive than calls to a real 07 mobile — often GBP1+ per minute — and 070 ranges are heavily abused for callback scams. Do not call back unknown 070 numbers.

How do I get a UK 0800, 0330 or local area-code number for my business?

Connection Technologies Hypercloud Hosted VoIP includes a wide choice of UK business numbers: local 01/02 area codes, national 0330/0333 non-geographic, freephone 0800/0808. You also get call routing, IVR menus, voicemail-to-email, softphone apps and call recording. Existing numbers can be ported in from any UK provider with no downtime.

Can I keep my existing UK landline number if I switch providers?

Yes — UK number portability is a legal right (mandated by Ofcom). You can move any UK landline (01, 02, 03, 0800, 0808) to a new provider while keeping the same number, with no downtime if managed properly. The receiving provider handles the port request — most ports complete within 5-10 working days. Mobile numbers (07) port in 1 working day under PAC-code rules.

How often is the data in this checker updated?

Ofcom publishes updated UK numbering data every Wednesday. We re-import the full official dataset (S1-S10 ranges covering geographic, non-geographic, mobile, freephone, premium, corporate and 118 numbers) automatically every Wednesday morning at 03:00 UK time, into our own UK-hosted database. Newly allocated number blocks are recognised within a week of release.

April 21, 2026

UK Phone Number Checker

Free UK Number Checker · Live Ofcom data, refreshed weeklyUK Phone Number Checker

Validate any UK phone number, identify the type (mobile, landline, freephone, premium), see the geographic area for 01/02 numbers and the original Ofcom range holder — instantly, with no signup.

Highest reported spam number this week is 0800 761 3372 — AI lookup says it’s Telemarketing: Sky UK Limited

That’s only #1. Look up any number and the full Top 19 comes back with your result — 9 of them outright scams.

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UK Phone Number Checker

Explanation