Verified UK short codes

UK short codes: who runs them, what they cost

Five-digit texting codes and three-digit dial codes are the one part of the UK numbering plan Ofcom does not publish. So we checked 34 of them by hand against the organisations that run them, and printed the sources on every page.

Verified against operators
Checked 13 August 2026
34 short codes
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A short code is a number that only exists inside the UK phone networks. Text short codes — usually five or six digits starting 6, 7 or 8 — carry donations, alerts, competitions and account services. Short dial codes such as 999, 101 and 159 reach a public service directly. Neither kind works from outside the UK.

None of them appear in Ofcom’s numbering data, which is what powers the rest of this site — so this directory is built the slow way. Every code below was checked against the organisation that runs it, or against gov.uk or the regulator, on 13 August 2026, and each page links its sources. Where we could not verify a code, we left it out and said why.

Reporting scams and getting help

Free or low-cost codes run by regulators, police, banks and charities. These are the ones worth saving in your phone before you need them.

Code	What it is	Operated by	Cost
`7726`	Report spam texts and scam calls	All major UK mobile networks, as an industry scheme	Free
`60599`	Report a suspicious HMRC text message	HM Revenue & Customs	Your standard network rate
`61016`	British Transport Police non-emergency reporting	British Transport Police	Charged by your network
`85258`	Shout – free 24/7 mental health text support	Mental Health Innovations (registered charity)	Free
`159`	Stop Scams UK – the safe route back to your bank	Stop Scams UK	Varies by provider, often a national-rate call

Emergency and public services

Three- and five-digit numbers that reach a public service directly. They cannot be dialled from abroad and, unlike a normal number, they cannot be spoofed by a caller.

Code	What it is	Operated by	Cost
`999`	Emergency services (and emergencySMS by text)	BT, on behalf of the UK emergency services	Free
`101`	Police non-emergency	Police forces of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland	Free
`105`	Power cut helpline	Energy Networks Association	Free
`111`	NHS urgent medical help	NHS (NHS 111 / NHS 24 in Scotland)	Free
`116 123`	Samaritans	Samaritans (registered charity)	Free
`18000`	Relay UK – emergency calls	BT, as the Relay UK provider	Free
`18001`	Relay UK – make a relayed call	BT, as the Relay UK provider	Access code is free; you pay for the call itself

Mobile network self-service codes

Each UK network runs its own short codes for balances, top-ups and customer service. Texts and calls to your own network's codes are normally free.

Code	What it is	Operated by	Cost
`150`	EE customer service and account texts	EE	Free
`202`	O2 pay monthly customer service	O2 (Virgin Media O2)	Free
`4445`	O2 pay as you go customer service	O2 (Virgin Media O2)	Free
`4444`	O2 top-up service	O2 (Virgin Media O2)	Free
`21202`	O2 Charge to Mobile balance	O2 (Virgin Media O2)	Free
`2202`	O2 line for buying data and Bolt Ons	O2 (Virgin Media O2)	Free
`333`	Three UK customer services	Three UK	Free
`444`	Three UK top-up and balance	Three UK	Free
`555`	Three UK balance enquiry	Three UK	Free
`2345`	Vodafone balance, top-up and roaming keywords	Vodafone UK	Vodafone does not publish a price for this code
`40506`	Vodafone Extras – add data, minutes and roaming	Vodafone UK	You pay for whichever Extra you add
`44555`	Vodafone pay monthly balance	Vodafone UK	Vodafone does not publish a price for this code
`43430`	giffgaff top-up line and account texts	giffgaff (Virgin Media O2)	Free
`85075`	giffgaff balance and plan by text	giffgaff (Virgin Media O2)	Free
`282`	Tesco Mobile balance	Tesco Mobile	Free
`4488`	Tesco Mobile top-up line	Tesco Mobile	Free

Landline network codes

Dialling codes built into the UK landline network itself, for caller display, withholding your number and voicemail.

Code	What it is	Operated by	Cost
`1471`	Find out the last number that called	BT and other UK landline providers	Free to listen; 35p to return the call
`141`	Withhold your number for one call	BT and other UK landline and mobile providers	Free
`1470`	Release your number for one call	BT and other UK landline providers	Free
`1571`	BT landline voicemail	BT	Chargeable – check your plan

Charity text donations

Text-giving short codes carry a real charge: the donation plus a standard-rate message. Always check the keyword and the amount.

Code	What it is	Operated by	Cost
`70085`	Donr text giving – keyword plus amount	Donr, on behalf of UK registered charities	The donation you choose, plus one standard-rate message
`70450`	Donr text giving – one-off donations	Donr, on behalf of UK registered charities	The donation you choose, plus one standard-rate message

Codes we looked at and did not publish

A directory is only as good as the things it refuses to say. These are the codes we considered and rejected, with the reason:

20202 — Widely repeated as O2's balance code, but O2's own help pages and Customer Code of Practice give 21202. Not published.
2112 — Given as Tesco Mobile's text-balance code by resellers; tescomobile.com says text BALANCE to 282. Not published.
5588 — Lebara balance line - only found on third-party top-up sites, no Lebara source. Not published.
112 — Genuine, but covered on the 999 page rather than duplicated: the two numbers reach the same UK operator with the same advice.
70470 / 70970 — Appear in Donr's shortcode pool but we could not find a primary page defining the amount each one takes. 70085 and 70450 are published; these are not.
Bank alert codes — Barclays, Lloyds, NatWest and others each send from dozens of rotating short codes. A per-code page would be thin, would go stale, and would help a fraudster more than a customer - a spoofed sender ID looks identical. The hub explains how to verify instead.

Things we got wrong and fixed

These claims were in our first draft and did not survive the check against the operator’s own pages. They are listed here rather than quietly deleted:

2202 — Drafted as O2's “marketing preferences” line. O2's contact page labels it a Marketing Interactive Voice Response number but describes it as the line you call to purchase more data and add Bolt Ons, which is a different thing entirely. Rewritten to what O2 actually says.
2345 and 44555 — Drafted as “free”. Vodafone publishes both numbers and tells you to dial them from your own Vodafone phone, but states no charge for either, and neither appears in the Special Numbers table of its pay as you go charges. The cost is now recorded as not published rather than assumed.
8DAYEUROPE / 15DAYEUROPE — Listed as roaming keywords for 40506. Not found on Vodafone's Extras page, which sends some Extras to 97888, 97886 and 49500 instead. Removed.
18000 call priority — Drafted as “if no relay assistant is free, another call is interrupted so yours is answered”. Not stated on Relay UK's own pages. Removed.
61016 launch year — Drafted as “launched in 2013”. National Rail's page does not give a launch date. Removed.
85258 “UK's first” — Shout's own FAQ describes the service as free, confidential and 24/7 but does not claim to be the first. Removed.

Got an unsolicited text?

Forward it free to 7726 and delete it. Do not tap the link, and do not reply unless you know the sender — replying to a stranger confirms your number is live. If it is about your money, hang up and call 159. More in our scam numbers guide and smishing explained.

UK short codes — frequently asked questions

What is a short code?

A short code is a 3- to 8-digit number that works only inside the UK networks. Text short codes are usually five or six digits starting 6, 7 or 8 and are used for donations, competitions, alerts and account services. Short dial codes such as 999, 101, 105 and 159 reach a public service directly. Neither kind can be dialled from abroad, and neither appears in Ofcom's published numbering data.

Are short codes free?

It depends entirely on the code. 7726 is free; HMRC's 60599 is charged at your network rate; charity codes charge the donation plus a standard-rate message; and commercial codes can be premium rate. Networks classify text short codes as premium rate services by default, and the organisation running the code is responsible for publishing the cost. We list the cost we could source for each one.

How do I stop texts from a short code?

If the sender is one you recognise, or the message came from a short code, reply STOP to that code. Ofcom's guidance is that this should not cost you anything and it tells the sender to stop. If the sender is unknown, do not reply at all - it confirms your number is live. Forward it to 7726 instead and delete it.

How can I tell if a text from my bank's short code is genuine?

You cannot, from the message. Sender IDs and short codes on inbound texts can be forged, and a fake message often lands in the same conversation thread as real ones, which makes it look authentic. That is why we do not publish per-bank short-code pages. Never act on the message itself: if it concerns your money, hang up or close it and dial 159, which connects you to your own bank and cannot be spoofed.

Why isn't the short code I'm looking for here?

Because we could not verify it against a primary source. Ofcom does not publish short-code assignments, so the only trustworthy source is the organisation that runs the code. Where a code is widely quoted but the operator's own pages say something different, we publish the operator's version or nothing at all.

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