Having a freephone 0800 number carries many benefits, as well as them being instantly recognisable and therefore easy to remember, they are also widely used by businesses and can have extra features to increase the efficiency and return on investment such as tracking advertising. Specific 0800numbers can be assigned to different adverts in order to see which one is performing best.
It seems that more people opt to use a mobile phone rather than a landline number, especially with the younger generation. However, in regards to 0800 numbers, this cancels out the free charge and can cost the caller up to forty pence per minute, a hefty sum in comparison to the supposed "free" factor. Some contract providers do allow 0800 numbers to be free from your mobile. But these are few and far between.
There are a few opposing websites out there to allow the caller to get the landline number as opposed to the 0800 one. This is obviously popular with mobile phone users allowing them to see the cost of a call to a "free phone" number and have it converted into a free call by dialling just on number and then inputting the new one. This is beneficial to mobile phone users but in regards to landline users, this does not apply.
Companies still use trusted 0800 numbers to receive a greater call back rate and despite their opposition, it seems their familiarity maintains their popularity as most people associate 0800 with the word "free". There are alternative free phone numbers businesses can choose such as 0808 but they are less familiar with the caller and therefore may deter them from calling with the possibility of hidden charges.