Everything about calling Thames Water from abroad
Who Thames Water is, and why someone abroad may need it
Thames Water Utilities Limited supplies water and wastewater services to customers in London and the Thames Valley. Its help pages cover bills and accounts, moving home, payments, and problems with water or sewers. Callers abroad may include owners of a UK home who live or work overseas, landlords, and students or expats who need to close an account, report a move or query a bill. Thames Water's pay-by-phone page has a line for customers paying from abroad, which suggests some account holders live overseas.
Why a UK freephone number can fail from another country
Both numbers belong to the 0800 range, the UK freephone class. Inside the UK, 0800 calls are free from landlines and mobiles, an arrangement built for the domestic network. Dialled as +44 800 from a foreign SIM or landline, the same number becomes an international call and may be charged by your own operator. Some foreign carriers may not connect UK freephone numbers at all, and some VoIP plans may refuse them too. If that happens, your phone is not at fault. The number simply assumes a caller in Britain.
What Losali does with UK 0800 and 0808 lines
Losali is an independent dialler that connects a browser to UK phone numbers over the internet. Freephone 0800 and 0808 numbers are one of the classes it covers. The panel at the top of this page shows the current state and rate of each Thames Water number.
Before you call: WhatsApp, the online account and paying from abroad
Not everything needs a call. For bills and accounts, Thames Water lists WhatsApp from Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm, Saturday 8am to 6pm and Sunday 8am to 5pm. Its water and wastewater complaints page showed the same service as currently unavailable, so check before relying on it. A move within or out of the area can be reported through the online account. Paying is the clearest case. Thames Water's pay-by-phone page says: "To pay your bill from abroad, please transfer the amount directly into our account". It lists the sort code, account number, IBAN and BIC, with your Thames Water account number as the reference. Take the bank details from that page itself. The phone covers the rest. On 0800 980 8800, that means bill and account queries, moving home and the automated card payment. On 0800 316 9800, it means sewer flooding, blocked drains and water or wastewater complaints.
- Your Thames Water account number and the address of the property.
- The dates you moved in or out, if that is why you are calling.
- For a sewer or drain problem, a clear description of where it is and who on site can confirm it.
- A pen to note the date, the time and any reference you are given.
- A quiet room and a steady internet connection.
Both numbers are UK freephone
0800 980 8800 and 0800 316 9800 sit in the same class, UK freephone, which covers the 0800 and 0808 prefixes. Unlike the premium 09 range, there is no service charge band to look up. The two lines differ only in what they handle. In international format they are written +44 800 980 8800 and +44 800 316 9800. The Thames Water pages we checked list no separate number for callers abroad, which leaves these two.
Picking the right line and the right moment
Use 0800 980 8800 for money and the account: bills, moving home, setting up accounts for two or three landlord properties, or paying by card through the automated system. Thames Water gives its hours as Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm and Saturday 8am to 6pm. Use 0800 316 9800 for water and wastewater problems such as sewer flooding or blocked and overflowing drains and sewers. Thames Water says it answers that line 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
What kind of number is this?
Freephone 0800 / 0808. Free to call from inside the UK. With Losali the call is billed at €0.99/min, per whole minute, prepaid, and the price is shown before the call starts.