BT, as the Relay UK provider. Dial 18001 followed by any UK number to place the call through a Relay UK assistant who types what the other person says. We verified this against the operator's own published information on 13 August 2026; the sources are linked on this page.

I got a text from a short code I do not recognise – what should I do?

Do not tap any link in it and do not reply unless you are certain who the sender is. If it is marketing from a company you know, replying STOP to the short code shown in the message opts you out free. If it is unsolicited, forward it to 7726 free of charge and delete it - replying to an unknown sender only confirms your number is live.

18001 – Who Runs It, What It Costs & Is It Safe?

Q: Is 18001 free?

Access code is free; you pay for the call itself. The 18001 code itself is free - providers bill the underlying call and must offer a rebate scheme to people using a relay service.

Q: Is 18001 a scam number?

No. A short code cannot be spoofed in the way an ordinary phone number can, because you are the one starting the conversation. The risk runs the other way: fraudsters send texts that claim to be from a service like this one and ask you to reply or tap a link.

Short code: 18001
Type: Short dial code
Operated by: BT, as the Relay UK provider
Cost: Access code is free; you pay for the call itself
Category: Emergency and public services
Verified: 13 August 2026

What 18001 is for

Relay UK lets deaf, hard-of-hearing and speech-impaired people use the ordinary phone network. Dial 18001 and then the full number including the dialling code; a relay assistant joins and converts between text and speech.

It works from a textphone (Minicom, Uniphone, BT Textphone) or the Relay UK app. 18002 is the equivalent for a hearing person calling a textphone user, and 18001 followed by 101 reaches the police non-emergency line.

For international calls, dial 18001 then the full number starting 00.

What it costs

Access code is free; you pay for the call itself. The 18001 code itself is free - providers bill the underlying call and must offer a rebate scheme to people using a relay service.

Call 18001 — how it works

Dial 18001, then the number you want, with no gap.
Wait for 'Connected to Relay' on your screen, then type or speak as normal.
For emergencies use 18000 instead - it gets priority.

Is 18001 safe, and is it spoofed?

A short code cannot be spoofed in the way an ordinary phone number can, because you are the one starting the conversation. The risk runs the other way: fraudsters send texts that claim to be from a service like this one and ask you to reply or tap a link.

If a text or call is trying to rush you, threaten you, or get a password, one-time code or payment out of you, it is a scam whatever number it shows. Read our guide to the UK number ranges scammers use and how to spot a smishing text, and forward anything suspicious free to 7726.

Where this came from

We do not guess short codes. Every entry in this directory was checked against the organisation that runs the code, or against gov.uk or the regulator:

Checked against these sources on 13 August 2026. Short codes and their charges do change — if the operator’s page now says something different, believe the operator.

Checking an ordinary number instead

Short codes are not in Ofcom’s numbering data — only full UK numbers are. If it is a normal 01, 02, 03, 07, 08 or 09 number you want to identify, put it into the phone number checker and you will get its type, its area and the provider Ofcom allocated the range to.

Other UK short codes

999 · Emergency services (and emergencySMS by text)101 · Police non-emergency 105 · Power cut helpline 111 · NHS urgent medical help 116 123 · Samaritans 18000 · Relay UK – emergency calls

All verified UK short codes › · UK area codes › · UK network operators ›

18001 — Relay UK – make a relayed call