09 premium rate numbers UK — cost & rules

09 is the UK premium rate numbering range. Calls cost up to £3.60 per minute in service charge alone, plus your network's access charge on top — a 09 call from a mobile can comfortably exceed £4/min. Every UK premium-rate service must be registered with the Phone-paid Services Authority (PSA), which regulates the industry under a binding Code of Practice. If 09 has called you out of the blue, you are almost certainly being targeted by a scam.

#What 09 numbers cost

Since the 2015 'UK Calling' price-clarity reforms, every premium-rate call is billed as two parts:

• Service charge — set by the receiver, capped at £3.60/min by Ofcom for ordinary 09 ranges (some short-code premium services can go higher).
• Access charge — set by your phone provider, typically 6p-14p/min on landlines and 25p-65p/min on mobiles.

Both numbers must be advertised in plain English wherever the number appears: web page, TV ad, magazine, billing statement. The combined cost of an 09 call from a UK mobile can easily exceed £4/min.

#Who regulates 09 in the UK

Premium-rate services are co-regulated by Ofcom (which sets the price ceilings and grants the numbering allocations) and the Phone-paid Services Authority (PSA, formerly PhonepayPlus), which runs the consumer-protection regime. Every UK PRS provider must:

1. Register with the PSA before launching a service.
2. Publish the service charge clearly wherever the number is promoted.
3. Comply with the PSA Code of Practice (currently Code 15) on pricing transparency, content, opt-in / opt-out, and refunds.
4. Refund consumers in full where the service breached the Code.

#Why scammers love 09 numbers

Premium-rate scams come in two main flavours:

1. Wangiri callback scams

Scammer dials your number from a 09 (or international equivalent), lets it ring once, hangs up. Curious recipient calls back. The 09 plays a long hold message while the scammer collects the per-minute revenue share. By the time you hang up, you have paid £10-£20 in call charges. Identical pattern to 070 personal-numbering scams but more expensive per call.

2. Bogus 'helpline' scams

Fake 'tax helpline', 'parcel re-delivery line' or 'tech support' numbers published on lookalike websites that take £3.60/min to navigate the menu. Genuine UK tax helplines are 0300; genuine couriers don't take fees on premium lines; genuine tech support is not on 09.

#How to identify a 09 caller

1. 1

   Don't call back until you've identified the number

   Calls to 09 are billed from the moment you connect — every second costs money. Always identify before dialling back.

2. 2

   Look it up on this site

   Paste the number into the lookup form. We return the Ofcom Range Holder (the wholesale PRS provider) and a live AI internet check that surfaces public reports about that exact number.

3. 3

   Check the PSA Number Checker

   The Phone-paid Services Authority maintains a free number checker for registered UK PRS services. Genuine services appear there with the service name, provider and pricing.

#How to claim a refund for an unwanted 09 charge

If you have been charged for a 09 service you believe was misleading, unauthorised or non-compliant with the PSA Code:

1. Contact the service provider directly — they are required to issue refunds for Code breaches.
2. If the provider refuses, file a complaint with the PSA. The PSA can compel refunds and fine non-compliant operators.
3. If you suspect fraud (e.g. wangiri pattern, spoofed CLI), also report to Action Fraud.

#Bottom line

09 is the UK premium-rate range — up to £3.60/min service charge plus your provider's access charge. Every legitimate 09 service is PSA-registered and must publish its price transparently. Unsolicited 09 calls are almost always scams; don't ring back, look up the number first, and report to the PSA if you have been charged for a non-compliant service.