Dialling a number starting 0870 should ring alarm bells as well as the phone. While named NationalCall rate numbers, they’re more akin to premium rates, costing up to 8p/min, massively more than a normal call.

These numbers are everywhere; household names like Comet, Vodafone and Barclaycard all issue them. Worse still, it often means, call to complain and the company you’re calling will profit from the call.

Many people don’t realise that there are many phone providers offering cheaper calls to standard telephone numbers (those beginning with 01 or 02), which don’t apply to 0844, 0845, 0870 or 0871 telephone numbers.

If you have an ‘inclusive landline calls’ phone package, then it is very rare that 0844, 0845, 0870, or 0871 numbers are are included in your ‘free minutes’ allocation, unlike normal numbers. Many mobile phone packages also exclude freephone 0800 and 0808 numbers for your bundled minutes.

On BT’s basic package, calling a landline during the day costs 3p/min (local and national rates no longer exist), yet calling 0870 numbers is 7.1p/min. With Toucan Telecom a normal 20 minute evening call costs 3p, but it’s 78p to an 0870 number.

Don’t confuse Lo-Call with local; numbers starting 0845 aren’t cheap and, again, aren’t included in the ‘free calls’. For someone calling from a BT line in the evening, you’d pay 30p for a half hour 0845 call compared to 5.5p for a normal call.

Non-geographic numbers are where the call cost doesn’t relate to where you’re calling. With numbers starting 0844 the price is fixed, at between 1p and 5p/minute; with 0871s it’s up to 10p/minute. They’re often used for special services where providers deliberately get a cut of the call revenue.

Many companies advertise a separate number that can be used when calling from abroad - This usually begins in the format +44 - There is nothing to stop you using this number from the UK (as it is a normal rate telephone call), and will be included in any inclusive minutes provided by your landline or mobile phone provider. Many others will give you a standard number if you ask.

SAYNOTO0870 site is all about listing these numbers, saving you money, without having to pay additional charges. To get started and find a particular number, click on the ‘Search to find an alternative number’ link at the top of the page from the link above.