0500 numbers

A freephone range that Ofcom closed in 2017. No 0500 number works any more.

Type: Withdrawn freephone
Tied to a place: No
Digits in a full number: 10 or 11, including the 0
What it costs to call: Not callable. A call showing an 0500 number did not come from one.

What happened to 0500 numbers

0500 was a freephone range, used alongside 0800 and 0808 for sales lines, enquiries and helplines. Ofcom withdrew it in June 2017. Organisations that held an 0500 number were offered a matching number in the 0808 5 range, keeping the last six digits: 0500 111 222 became 0808 511 1222.

So if you have an old 0500 number for a helpline or a company, try the same last six digits after 0808 5, or find the organisation’s current number on its own website.

What it costs to call

Nothing, because the call cannot connect. An old 0500 number on a leaflet or a website will not work.

An 0500 number called me

Then the number you saw was not a real, working number. No 0500 number has been in service since 2017, so a call showing one was made with a faked caller ID. Treat the call with care: do not call back on a number the caller gives you, and do not share codes, passwords or card details. If it was a scam attempt, report the number so the next person is warned.

Call prices vary by provider and change over time. Ofcom’s call costs guide explains how every kind of UK number is charged. To see what people have said about one number, check it above.

Reported 0500 numbers

Nobody has reported an 0500 number to us yet. If one has been calling you, report it so the next person sees it.

Other numbers with no place

Codes, code lengths and provider counts from Ofcom’s numbering data, downloaded 23 September 2026. Places from Wikidata. All UK area codes · Who called me? · Stop spam calls