Article in todays Mail On Sunday.

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/bills/article-2681592/0845-numbers-replaced-ahead-likely-ban.html

Not a very accurate article as most banks, including First Direct, are only dropping the 0845 number from their literature, not yet withdrawing them from use.

For people like me on BT Basic there is actually a benefit to still have the 0845 number available when calling banks and credit card companies at the weekend (on BT Basic, 0345 numbers are not free at the weekend). But I expect in due course the 0845 numbers will get withdrawn by these companies.

Graham wrote on Jul 20^th, 2014 at 5:44pm:

… (on BT Basic, 0345 numbers are not free at the weekend). …

On "BT Basic" 03 numbers are inclusive in the call allowance at all times, whereas 0845 numbers are not.

I suspect that you are on "BT Unlimited Weekend Calls". If you only use the phone at weekends, then you will be able to make unlimited calls to 01/02/03 numbers (including 0345) during this time. BT also includes calls to 0845 numbers because all subscribers contribute towards the 'Service Charge', whether they call these numbers or not. You will pay penalty charges for making calls to ordinary numbers at other times.

Sadly many BT customers fail to recognise that the cheapest of its call plans is only suitable for those who only make calls at the weekend (or none at all). The penalty charges on weekday calls very quickly overtake the higher monthly charge for the other plans, e.g. as little as one 10-minute call and one 5-minute call to any 01/02/02 number(s), before 7pm on a weekday, each week justifies the subscription to the Unlimited Anytime Plan.

Because the BT penalty charge for calling 0845 numbers is bizarrely less than that for calling 01/02/03 numbers "out of plan", at present, businesses are justified in retaining 0845 numbers as an option for those who are calling outside the terms of their selected plan - they are however probably paying far too much for their ordinary telephone calls!

This messy situation will probably continue until June 2015, when the special regulations which apply to BT will be lifted and a new regulatory regime for all 08 numbers will be introduced.

I suggest   Graham is on  BT Basic www.bt.com/btbasic as he says. :)

Yes I am  :)

I expect there are still lots of outstanding bank debit cards which list the 0845 number on them, so I doubt the withdrawal of these numbers will happen for some time yet.

bigjohn wrote on Jul 21^st, 2014 at 3:05am:

I suggest   Graham is on  BT Basic www.bt.com/btbasic as he says. :)

Graham wrote on Jul 21^st, 2014 at 8:56am:

Yes I am  :) I expect there are still lots of outstanding bank debit cards which list the 0845 number on them, so I doubt the withdrawal of these numbers will happen for some time yet.

Apologies Graham - I had missed this bizarre feature of BT Basic, i.e. free calls to 0845 numbers at weekends.

As the leading provider of 0845 numbers to businesses, BT has an interest in promoting the illusion that they are acceptable. Nobody wants to see a benefit to consumers being withdrawn, however it is likely that the situation will change with the new regime that will be introduced in June 2015. We trust that by then there will be very few 0845 numbers in use because the need to declare the "Service Charge" will mark the end of any illusion of acceptability.

It is important to understand that "BT Basic" is only of value to those who make very few calls, but need to 'keep in touch'. The complex charging structure makes comparison difficult, however someone who made the equivalent of one 8-minute call per day (to 01/02/03 numbers) would be better off on Unlimited Anytime.