Do you want a number from the UK, but you don’t actually live in the United Kingdom? Perhaps you have a UK-based business and want to stay accessible to your local UK community and customer-base, but you currently reside in the United States. Or perhaps your grandma or aunt wants to stay in touch with you, but they don’t want to call an international number.
In the modern world, that’s not a problem! There are a few ways to get a UK-based phone number online. If you’re looking for a new number for the UK while living or traveling outside the UK, you can easily activate a UK number and forward it to your current number. Let us show you how to keep in touch with the family and friends across the pond.
- How do I use my local number to receive UK calls while outside the UK?
- What’s the benefit of having a virtual UK number?
- How Much Does a UK Virtual Phone Number Cost?
- Are 0800 and 0808 numbers toll-free in the UK?
- How Can I Get a UK Phone Number for WhatsApp?
How do I use my local number to receive UK calls while outside the UK?
The easiest way to get and make UK calls without crazy long distance charges is by getting a virtual UK phone number.
How does that work? Simply put, you go online, search for “UK virtual numbers,” and purchase a virtual phone number that’s based in the UK. Most virtual phone numbers rely on an internet connection, so you would need to use an app on your cell phone or your browser on your desktop to make and receive calls.
There is one workaround, known as call forwarding, which enables you to receive calls directly on your current cell phone number (we’ll get to that). First, let’s find the perfect UK number:
1. Search for a UK number
There are multiple services available online that allow you to get a UK number, but one of the most fun and efficient ways is on NumberBarn’s UK phone number search tool. All you need to do is type in some digits that you’d like to have (or leave the field blank), and NumberBarn will spin up a virtual UK number that can be all yours to keep.
If you’re looking for a catchy, memorable number to use for your UK business, try typing in some text or repeating digits. You can create a custom vanity phone number out of some of the available UK phone numbers from NumberBarn.
For instance, perhaps you want a memorable number for your UK-based bakery. You could get a number that partially spells “BREAD” to use on your advertising. It could even help increase your shop’s visibility and help you bring in more dough!
2. Set up your new number with forwarding
If you don’t want to use a standard VoiP number that requires internet and a mobile app, you could opt for call forwarding. If you use NumberBarn to purchase a UK number, once you have your number set up in your account, you can forward it to your current U.S., Canada or Puerto Rico phone number (without incurring international forwarding charges). This way, you get all the calls you receive on your new UK number sent to your current number and cell phone, just like you would regularly receive calls on your cell phone
Besides getting UK calls on your cell phone the same as normal calls, another cool thing about getting a UK number with NumberBarn’s call forwarding is that you can set up a several additional features, such as:
- Making calls from your UK number on your desktop or phone app
- Downloadable voicemails straight to your email inbox
- Auto-attendant menus (Like, “Press 1 for…”)
Or you can just keep things vanilla. The customizability is totally up to you! (But personally, the extra stuff is nice to have, from experience.)
What’s the benefit of having a virtual UK number?
Besides not having to worry about other international rates (depending on your plan, you can have a generous amount of minutes per month), there are lots of reasons to establish a virtual UK number.
Set up a local presence
Nobody likes (or really knows how) to call international numbers. And, calling international numbers can get expensive for the caller. Local UK numbers are way easier to call from the UK; it doesn’t matter if it’s your friend Landon or the pub down the street.
People won’t know it’s being forwarded
Setting up a UK number through NumberBarn makes things seamless. Your UK callers will dial a normal UK number and receive the same outbound calling experience from start to finish. Alternatively, when they receive a call from you, Caller IDs won’t show up as your current, non-UK number, but rather, will show up as your local UK number.
Integrates easily into your current phone system
With call forwarding, there’s no need for separate devices or to call from your computer (unless you want to). Calls will forward directly to your current phone number (or whatever phone number you want them to forward to).
UK Call Routing
With the help of an auto-attendant menu, your UK callers can be forwarded to almost anywhere else in the world with just the push of a button. This is great for businesses with remote team members or various departments that you may want to direct your callers to.
Virtual online numbers are much faster than traditional numbers
Call forwarding to a digital number can be set up in minutes, and you can change the number that your UK number forwards to as often or as seldom as you need to.
How much does a UK virtual phone number cost?
A virtual UK number with NumberBarn will cost as much as the number activation and forwarding plan that you pick.
With NumberBarn, you can easily sort available UK phone numbers by using the UK number search feature, then activate and begin receiving calls quickly. The price will scale to which numbers are available on the market, but the features remain the same: direct calls to your phone, web browser, auto-attendant, downloadable voicemails, and more.
Can I port my new UK number to another provider?
In some cases you can even port (transfer) that number to another phone carrier. There’s no commitments or contracts with NumberBarn so that number is yours to transfer to whatever provider will accept your port.
This process can take a while in our experience so it’s good to be prepared. Two important things to note if considering porting your new UK number:
- First, if you are purchasing any number with the intention of porting, make sure to verify with your new preferred provider that they will accept the port.
- Again, for any number, not just a UK number, it’s crucial not to cancel your current service until the port is complete. Your service won’t be interrupted during that time, but in order for a port to complete, the number has to be active or parked with a provider in order to successfully transfer it to another provider.
Are 0800 and 0808 numbers toll-free in the UK?
“0800” and “0808” are the “freephone,” or toll-free numbers of the UK. Some online providers will have access to toll-free UK numbers and others don’t! Currently, NumberBarn does not have “freephone numbers” but that could change in the future. Read our UK phone number page for more information.
What’s the best time to call the UK?
Finally, the answer you’ve all been waiting for! Whenever you want! (Grandma might think otherwise however.) Keep in mind if calling the UK from the U.S. or Canada that from the East Coast (EST) alone there’s a five hour time difference. The UK operates on British Summer Time (BST), which is eight hours ahead of Pacific Standard Time (PST) for all the West Coasters out there.
