How to access voicemail from any network

Remember voicemail? When you recorded yourself telling someone why you called them. We can, of course, just send a text if we can’t reach the person we want to speak to. Yet, voicemail remains a useful and sometimes necessary tool, especially for professional communication (like interview follow-ups) or doctor’s calls.

And let’s face it, we all have mums and dads who still leave us a message when they can’t reach us.

Accessing voicemail from your phone usually requires dialling a short number, which varies from network to network. You will also need to set up a security PIN in most cases.

Mobile networks allow access your phone’s voicemail from other phones and from abroad as well (though roaming charges may apply in some cases). This is when PIN verification comes into play. With your PIN set up, you should be able to access your voicemail from anywhere, any handset or any landline.

Voicemail is often a standard service included with Pay Monthly plans, but Pay As You Go customers may have to pay a per-minute rate depending on which provider you’re with. Here, we go through how to access your voicemail from each of the major network providers in the UK.

We’ve also gone through how to top up your phone across all major UK networks as well. Additionally, if you’re looking to change network providers, also see our round up of the best SIM only deals.

O2 voicemail number

If you’re with O2, the voicemail number to dial is 901. It’s a free service included for Monthly customers. Pay As You Go customers will be charged at the standard tariff rate of 3p a minute ( see more Pay As You Go rates here).

Setting up your voicemail PIN with O2

Before you can access your messages however, you will need to set up a PIN, which you can do when you first call 901.

If you’ve already set up a PIN and need to reset it, text “reset” to 802901. You will be sent a 5-digit code. Dial this code after calling 901 and you will be asked to enter your new PIN. You can use any number between 4 to 10 digits except for 8705.

Listening to voicemail messages with O2

Dialling 901 should take you to a voicemail menu where you can navigate through messages. Dial:

• 0 to pause or continue
• 4 to skip five seconds backwards
• 6 to skip five seconds forwards

After you listen to your messages you can dial:

• 1 to replay
• 2 to save
• 3 to delete
• 5 to return call
• 8 to hear who called and when

Pay Monthly customers have additional options. They can forward the message to another mailbox or return a voicemail by pressing 7. They can also reply via text by pressing 9.

If you have O2 Call Alert (a service that sends a “missed call” text with details of who called and when), you won’t be able to use voicemail. O2 only allows you to use one or the other. For more details on how to access voicemail from the O2 network see O2’s Help and Support section.

EE voicemail number

EE customers need to press and hold 1 to access their voicemail or dial 222. To access voicemail on EE from another phone or landline, dial 07953 222222.

EE customers can also access voicemail from another country, by either press and holding 1 or dialling +447953222222. You should hear your voicemail options. Though depending on which country you’re calling from, you may need to enter your PIN. EE advises to set this up before you travel. 

Voicemail costs within the EU are treated as it would be within the UK, so there aren’t any additional roaming costs. Accessing voicemail from non-EU countries cost the standard per-minute roaming rate, depending on which plan you’re on. You can use EE’s roaming cost calculator to assess these costs.

For more pricing information, Pay Monthly customers can also consult this price guide here and  Pay As You Go customers can see this price guide.

Setting up your voicemail PIN with EE

To set up a voicemail PIN with EE, use the method above to reach the voicemail menu. Next, choose Settings and Features (option 3), and then PIN Settings (option 3 again). This should lead to a set of instructions which will walk you through how to set your PIN.

EE Visual Voicemail

iPhone users with iOS 6 or higher can also set up Visual Voicemail if with EE. Visual Voicemail is a tool that lets you manage your voicemails directly on your phone screen without having to call the voicemail number. Visual Voicemail is included in all EE plans at no additional cost.

To activate Visual Voicemail text “iPhone visual” to 150. You may need to update your Carrier Settings to the latest version which you can do by going to Settings> General> About.

Read more about EE’s Visual Voicemail feature here.

Vodafone voicemail number

If you’re with Vodafone, dial 121 from your phone to access voicemail. This does use minutes from the monthly allowance however. For Pay As You Go customers, you will be charged standard rates, which is 55p a minute. Read more about Vodafone’s standard call and text rates in the UK here.

Setting up voicemail PIN with Vodafone

To set up your voicemail PIN, dial 121 and choose option 4, then option 2. This should lead to instructions guiding you through setting up your PIN up.

You can also set up a security level to access your voicemail. The “standard security” option requests for a PIN if you’re calling from a non-Vodafone phone or from abroad. Whereas, the “high security” option will always request a PIN, even if you’re calling from your own phone. Read more about voicemail on Vodafone here.

If you are traveling, see our dedicated article on how roaming costs works on Vodafone.

Three Mobile UK voicemail number

Three Mobile Customers will need to dial 123 to access their voicemail. The service is included at no additional cost.

If you choose to listen to voicemail abroad, though, you will be charged the standard roaming rate of 35p per minute for both Advanced Plan and Essential Plan customers. Pay As You Go customers are charged 3p per minute.

If you’re calling from another phone, simply dial 07782 333 123. If you’re calling from abroad dial 44 7782 333 123.

Setting up your voicemail PIN with Three Mobile

Three customers can access their voicemail directly without a PIN, by dialling 123. This is a part of Three’s Fast Login feature. If you prefer more security, you can choose to turn Fast Login off.

To do this:

1. Dial 123
2. Choose option 4
3. Choose option 2
4. Choose option 2 again
5. Choose option 1

Turning off Fast Login means you will need to enter a PIN each time you access your voicemail. To set up a PIN:

1. Call 123
2. Choose 4
3. Choose 2
4. Choose 1
5. Enter your chosen PIN and press # (hash) key
6. Enter PIN again and # (hash) key again

Read more about voicemail on Three mobile here.

Tesco Mobile voicemail number

If you’re with Tesco Mobile, you will need to dial 905. If you’re calling for the first time, the PIN that’s automatically set is 8705, but you will be able to change it to any number between 4 to 10 digits long.

Voicemail is included in Pay Monthly plans. Pay As You Go customers pay 15p a minute. To change your PIN, press * (star) after dialling 905. Next, press 4, then 4 again and then 1.

If you want to listen to your voicemail from another phone, like your landline, dial your Tesco mobile number and wait until you reach the the voicemail greeting. Interrupt it with the * (star) key and enter your PIN, followed by the # (hash) key.