What is my Landline Number: Quick Help Guide
If you're like most people, you probably don't know what your landline number is. And that's not surprising, since most people don't use their landlines very often. But there are times when you might need to know what your landline number is, such as when you're setting up a new service or transferring your broadband to a new address. So how can you find out what your landline number is? Read this guide to quickly find out.
What Is My Landline Number?
Who could forget uttering the immortal words 'sorry, you've got the wrong number'? Well, how can you be sure it's the wrong number if you don't even know what your own landline number is? So, if you're one of the many people out there asking what is my landline number? Here are a few ways to find out:
- Use a mobile phone
- Check your bill
- Ask family and friends
- Check the phone book
- Call your provider
Find Landline Number Using a Mobile Phone
So how do you find landline numbers by using a mobile phone? The answer is simple: call your mobile phone from your home phone and take a note of the phone number that appears on the screen. This sounds wonderfully simple but it could turn out to be a bit more complicated than that.
- To avoid being charged for the call, only let it ring a couple of times; don’t answer the call and make sure you hang up before it goes to voicemail.
- If your landline number is withheld then it won’t show up on your mobile screen. In that case, try dialling 1470 immediately before dialling the mobile number you’re ringing.
I don't have a home phone, what can I do? You can buy a cheap home phone, or borrow one from a friend or neighbour to connect to your phone line so you can try ringing your mobile.
Find Landline Number by Looking on a Recent Bill
Another easy way to find landline numbers is by looking at a recent phone or broadband bill. Start by checking the paperwork - phone bills, contracts, etc - that’s linked to your phone and broadband. The number will appear somewhere, or you can check your bank statement too; if you pay by direct debit, your landline number might appear there in the payment description.
Ask Family Members and Friends to Find Your Landline Number
Alternatively, you could ask your family or friends if they have your landline number saved to their mobile or in their phone book. Chances are you've shared your landline number with them when you first got it. There's no guarantee, but it's worth a shot, so go ahead and ask your friends to help you find your landline number.
Find Landline Number in the Phone Book
Maybe you’re in the phone book and you don’t even know it! Check if there’s a telephone directory in your house and look up your surname and address - or the surname of the person who lived at your address before you - and with any luck, your number will be listed.
Alternatively, if you don't have a physical telephone directory, you can check an online telephone directory such as the BT PhoneBook online to find your landline number.
Find Landline Number: Call Your Provider
Finally, if all else fails you can use your landline to call whichever company provides your internet and telephone service to ask them what your number is. Be prepared to give them the following information:
- Your account number
- Full name of the account holder
- Address including postcode
Without the above details, most telephone companies won’t give out any information. As silly as you might feel asking “what’s my phone number?”, any telecommunications company worth their salt will completely understand your situation and if they can’t tell you what your landline number is, there’s a chance they could simply assign you a new phone number.
How to Contact My Phone Provider?
First of all, you'll need to know who your Broadband or Phone Provider is. If you're unsure, you should check if there's a logo on your broadband router or check your bank statement to find out who you pay the bill to.
Once you know your provider, you can follow the link in the table below to find the contact information for your provider - each Guide contains the various ways to reach your provider from the phone number to email to live chat or even by social media.
Last updated: 22/06/2022
Great! I've Got My Landline Number, What Now?
At the risk of stating the obvious, don’t forget it! Gone are the days when everyone seemingly effortlessly remembered all the telephone numbers they would ever need. Wherever you keep a reminder of what your mobile phone number is, add your landline phone number as well. Put it in your mobile contacts list, add it to your address book, write it on a post-it next to your broadband password.
I Can't Make Calls From My Landline
So you’ve got a phone plugged into the landline but there’s no dial tone. What do you do then? Follow the tips below to fix your landline phone.
- If it’s a cordless handset, for example, check it’s fully charged.
- Check any other telephones in the house to make sure they’re not off the hook.
- There could be a problem between the main socket and any extensions, so always check the line at the main socket.
- Check the phone is definitely working. You could have a faulty phone, so borrow a landline phone that you know is working to check if that's the case.
Once you’ve established there’s definitely an issue with the telephone line, use email, your phone company’s website or your mobile phone to contact whoever provides your phone service to tell them about the problem. While you’re at it, ask them to tell you what your landline phone number is.
Do I Need a Landline?
In many households the sound of the home phone ringing is like a distant echo from the past, everyone contacts you directly on your mobile, right? However, most internet service providers rely on telephone lines to deliver broadband - and, of course, they charge you for Line Rental as part of their broadband and phone packages - so that’s why we still have landline phone numbers as well as mobile numbers.
Surprisingly though, about 12% of UK homes have no broadband but they do have active landlines (also known as fixed-line telephones), so clearly there is still a demand for a home phone service for both outgoing and incoming phone calls.
You might never use your home phone line to make outgoing calls, but in some situations it’s essential to know your landline number. Many people rely more heavily on their mobile phones and broadband these days.
Here are a few examples of when it’s useful to know your home telephone number:
- When you’re shopping around for internet service providers, some suppliers won’t even give you a quote without your landline number.
- Evidence suggests that many older people still prefer to ring landlines instead of making calls to mobile phones, so if your grandparents want to call you at home you need to be able to give them the right number.
- Cold callers, telemarketing and silent calls to your landline still plague many of us on a regular basis. To help get around the problem of unwanted calls, you need to know your landline number to subscribe to the Telephone Preference Service. TPS is a free register of residential landline phone numbers to which it is illegal to make unsolicited sales and marketing calls.
How To Get Rid of Your Landline Number
You’ve thought it over and, on balance, you’ve decided to ditch the old-fashioned landline telephone once and for all. Contact your phone company to cancel the service, after checking your contract for any termination charges, of course. Before you get rid of your landline, though, think about whether that also means Cancelling your Broadband Service.
Can't Find Landline Number But Want Broadband?
It’s unusual, but not impossible, to get broadband without a home phone plan, and it could even save you money. Different service providers offer various options including wifi dongles, Wifi Extenders, 4G routers, VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) or high speed internet through Cable Broadband - all without having to sign up to a landline phone service that you don’t need. For more information, have a look at our How to Find the Cheapest Broadband Guide.