Most telephone operators offer marketing numbers. Some charge monthly line rental, whereas others will offer low rates but won’t always cope with large volume calls.
Overall, it is best to choose an established provider. Here's a rough guide to what you might expect to pay:
Freephone 0800 - the connection fee is usually £25, although some providers will waive the connection fee altogether. Monthly line rental varies from £0 to £40. Service is free to callers, but costs you roughly 8p per minute.
Lo-call 0845 – connection fees generally range from £0 to £25, although some fees run into the hundreds of pounds. Monthly line rental can come to £40. Callers pay local rate, (4p per minute at peak times) and you pay for part of the call.
National rate 0870 – connection charges and line rentals vary. Callers pay 8p per minute week days, 4p per minute in the evening and 2p at weekends. You receive a minimum of 1p per minute in revenue.
0871 – connection fees can range from £0 to £25. Monthly line rental can cost from £0 to £40 per month. Callers pay between 5p and 10p per minute, all day every day. You receive a revenue from the call which charges depending on the volume of calls, typically 2-2.5p per minute.
Premium rate 090 – callers pay anything from 10p to £1.50 per minute. Revenue generated depends on cost per minute to caller. If you charge £1.50 per call, you can earn up to 84p per minute.
0844 - connection fees range from £0 – 25. Monthly line rental can cost up to £40 per month. Callers pay between 1p and 5p per minute all the time.
Personal numbering 070 - usually free to set up. Callers pay anything from 4p to 50p a minute at both peak times and off-peak, depending on which personal numbering service tariff is used.