I am hardly familiar with this site, so my question will be naive and ignorant, and has certainly been covered, so plse be patient.  Here goes:
some 0870/0845 etc. no's are not based on revenue-sharing  and are genuine national-rate.  How can we tell before phoning and without asking the organisation in question?  Best wishes, Ron.

Whether the receiving party is paid revenue or not makes no difference on call cost. Call charges for all 0845 and 0870 numbers are at the same rate at any one time with any one telco.

Thanks, Dave.  I do not fully understand.  Is it true to say that my question was wrongly formulated or based on a false assumption?  Plse explain more fully.  Thanks, Ron.

tyutchev wrote on Feb 1^st, 2008 at 7:45pm:

Here goes: some 0870/0845 etc. no's are not based on revenue-sharing  and are genuine national-rate.

What's "genuine national-rate" Ron?

I pay 5p for a call of any duration to any UK (national) geographical number peak and nothing (yes, 0p) for such a call of up to 90 minutes at all other times.

Which 0845/087 numbers can I dial for those prices?

Hi, Heinz.  Thanks.  Obviously I am not asking the right question or I am based on a false assumption re. national rate.  What I really need is an explanation of terminology and tariffs, so that I can formulate my question correctly.  Best regards, Ron.

Probably the most useful thread from your point of view is:

http://www.saynoto0870.com/cgi-bin/forum/YaBB.cgi?num=1158592308

A call to a geographical number (beginning 01 or 02) which is a local call for the caller is thus charged at "local rate".
A call to a geographical number (beginning 01 or 02) which is a national call for the caller is thus charged at "national rate".

For a number of years now, telephone providers have charged the same for both. Hence it will cost the same to call London to Glasgow as it does London to London.

Call rates for 0845 and 0870 are therefore not linked to local or national rate.

Refer to the comparison table here.

tyutchev wrote on Feb 1^st, 2008 at 8:05pm:

Thanks, Dave.  I do not fully understand.  Is it true to say that my question was wrongly formulated or based on a false assumption?  Plse explain more fully.  Thanks, Ron.

With such an extraordinarily poor understanding of the cost of UK phone calls I'm a little puzzled how you might have found your way to this website in the first place.

I wonder if your question is genuine or if you are not in fact just another cynical director of an 084 or 087 call centre trying to test our patience for the sake of some sport.

Also when visiting web discussion forums have you never found it beneficial to try to do a little research with Google or read the forum FAQs first rather than just asking the dumbest question you can think of that is likely to be exceptionally badly received by the existing forum members. :P

I don't wish to sound intolerant but I do feel that your question is surely disingenuous and that you in fact have another motivation for asking it. ;)

NGMsGhost wrote on Feb 8^th, 2008 at 12:57am:

Also when visiting web discussion forums have you never found it beneficial to try to do a little research with Google or read the forum FAQs first rather than just asking the dumbest question you can think of that is likely to be exceptionally badly received by the existing forum members. :P

I don't recall such a question being asked before and certainly not in the FAQs. I think it is a reasonable assumption to make.

Hello, NGMsGhost.  I have no hidden agenda and my questions/ posts are not disingenuous.  I am an ordinary member of the public and domestic phone-user: I know almost nothing about tariffs because my wife manages our phone-bills.  I am indignant about rip-off 0870/ 0845, etc., lines and found this site by reading about it in a newspaper.  It is true that I could have done more research before taking the easy route and asking my questions, but that is the limit of what, I believe, I can be criticised for.  Sincerely, Ron.

Hi, Dave and Heinz.  Thanks so much for yr helpful links.  Best, Ron.