Card transactions by proxy

[Ian Batten]

>
> It is possible (at least for 02 users) for the recipient to publish  
> a number which is free (or rather recipient-paid-for) to call.  The  
> AA , for instance, allocate a number the same as their 0800 number  
> with the initial '0' removed which is free to call from my mobile.   
> Presumably other organisations with 0800 numbers could do the same,  
> at a price.

Not even at a price.  They can publish the number of the trunk the  
0800 number is delivered over, and all it costs is the ink.  They may  
need to do this anyway, if they want to be sure of being contactable  
from overseas and (as you say) from mobiles.  My bank publishes geos  
for all the important numbers, and prints them on the back of bank  
cards.  The only downside is that using a geo number isn't as  
portable, so if the operation is moved more than a few miles the geo  
number would cost quite a lot of money to retain.  And geos don't have  
the call distribution facilities you get from non-geos, of course.

ian