How much does it cost to call 118 directory enquiries?
Calling a 118 number costs your provider's access charge plus a service charge that Ofcom has capped at £3.65 per 90 seconds since April 2019 - before the cap, some 118 calls exceeded £10. Even capped, a two-minute call routinely costs £5 or more.
Verified against Ofcom rules and provider tariff guides, August 2026.
Directory enquiries - capped, but still expensive
Since April 2019 Ofcom caps 118 service charges at £3.65 per 90 seconds, plus your provider's access charge. A short call can still cost several pounds. Searching online is free.
Service charge: capped at £3.65 per 90 seconds - displayed wherever the number is advertised.
There is no situation in which a 118 call is the cheap option: the same information is free online. The cap exists because vulnerable and older callers were being badly stung.
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.
118 cost questions
Are 118 numbers free to call?
No. 118 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: capped at £3.65 per 90 seconds
Do inclusive minutes cover 118 numbers?
No, never. This is the single most expensive misunderstanding with 118 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 118 number?
From a pay-monthly mobile with a 98p access charge and a top-band service charge, over £10. From a Sky Talk landline with the same service charge, nearer £2.50. The provider table on this page shows why the spread is so wide.
Why is an organisation using an 118 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 118 today, it is often a legacy number - or a service that profits from the call itself.