How much does it cost to call 09 premium rate numbers?
Premium rate 09 calls are the most expensive in UK numbering: your provider's access charge, plus a service charge of up to £3.60 a minute, plus possibly a one-off charge of up to £6 per call. They fund competitions, voting lines and paid advice services, and are regulated by the Phone-paid Services Authority.
Verified against Ofcom rules and provider tariff guides, August 2026.
Premium rate - access charge + up to £3.60/min service charge
Premium rate 09 numbers carry a service charge of up to £3.60 a minute, and possibly a one-off charge of up to £6 per call, on top of your provider's access charge. Never covered by inclusive minutes. If you did not expect to be calling one, do not.
Service charge: up to £3.60 per minute, plus up to £6 per call - displayed wherever the number is advertised.
If a missed call, text or advert is steering you to an 09 number you did not expect, treat it as a scam until proven otherwise. Report unexpected charges to your provider and the Phone-paid Services Authority.
Access charges by provider (August 2026)
Added to the service charge above. Set by your own phone company:
| Provider | Tariff | Access charge |
|---|---|---|
| EE | Pay monthly | 98p/min |
| EE | Pay as you go | 44p/min |
| Sky Mobile | All plans | 95p/min |
| Vodafone | Pay monthly | 90p/min |
| O2 | Pay monthly | 87p/min |
| Vodafone | Pay as you go | 84p/min |
| O2 | Pay as you go | 65p/min |
| Three | Pay monthly | 65p/min |
| Tesco Mobile | All plans | 55p/min |
| Three | New pay as you go | 45p/min |
| BT | Landline (current plans) | 31.05p/min |
| giffgaff | All members | 25p/min |
| Sky Talk | Landline | 15p/min |
Minimum-charge and dated-rise notes apply to some providers - check your provider's current price guide for the exact figure. Sources: Ofcom, gov.uk, provider tariff guides.
09 cost questions
Are 09 numbers free to call?
No. 09 calls are never covered by inclusive minutes: you pay your provider's access charge plus the service charge set by the organisation you call. Service charge: up to £3.60 per minute, plus up to £6 per call
Do inclusive minutes cover 09 numbers?
No, never. This is the single most expensive misunderstanding with 09 numbers: the access charge and service charge apply from the first second regardless of any bundle.
How much is a 10 minute call to an 09 number?
Potentially over £40: up to £3.60 a minute service charge, plus up to £6 per call, plus ten minutes of your provider's access charge (up to 98p a minute on some tariffs). Premium rate means premium.
Why is an organisation using an 09 number?
Revenue and legacy. The service charge generates income (or offsets phone system costs), which is exactly why Ofcom forced the charges into the open in 2015 and why most consumer-facing organisations have since moved to 03 numbers. Where you see 09 today, it is often a legacy number - or a service that profits from the call itself.