73% of financial firms use high-rate phone numbers

Financial firms have been urged to lower the cost of their high-rate customer and complaint lines after a study found 73% are high-rate numbers.

Consumer watchdog Which? found that 177 out of 242 lines for services such as current accounts, loans and credit cards were pricey 084 or 087 numbers.

The companies included leading high street banks and building societies such as HSBC, Lloyds Bank, Nationwide and TSB Bank, credit card providers American Express, Capital One and Tesco Bank and insurers Aviva, Churchill and Direct Line.

Which? executive director Richard Lloyd said: "Millions of us prefer to deal with our bank on the phone, yet we are expected to cough up for a costly call when we do."

:: Populus surveyed 2,070 adults online between August 30 and September 1.