Free mobile calls to benefit claim numbers
27 January 2010
Six of the biggest mobile phone network companies will no longer charge their customers for calls to around seventy of the Department for Work and Pension’s 0800 benefit claim numbers.
People using BT landlines and mobiles have been able to call 0800 numbers for free to claim benefits and state pension. However 12% of UK households do not have a landline and rely on mobile phones.
The mobile network providers, O2, Orange, Vodafone, and T-Mobile have agreed that people using mobiles will no longer be charged for these initial 0800 calls.
The 0800 numbers included in the scheme are those used to claim Jobseeker’s Allowance, State Pension, Pension Credit and the Employment and Support Allowance. People making initial claims and to request emergency payments, such as crisis loans, also use the numbers. The initial agreements will last for two years.
For more information visit the Departmetnt for Work and Pension website:
www.dwp.gov.uk
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