In Ireland, there are several choices for telephone directory enquiries.
With the use of Google – you can usually avoid calling directory enquiries to find a phone number – but there could be times when you have no internet access and you need to find a phone number.
All the directory enquiry numbers in Ireland begin with 118.
Some of the possible numbers you can call for an enquiry about a telephone number (landline) are :
- 11850 , 11888
- 11824, 11890
- 11811 , 11827,
- 11822, 11824.
You might be shocked at the cost of Calls to Directory Enquiries in Ireland.
A 4-minute call could end up costing you as much as €17.50 !
Which directory enquiry number is the cheapest to call in Ireland ?
Well – it’s not straightforward – the price depends on which provider you are using to make the call. (All prices below include VAT).
In general – 11888 has the lowest charge (but not with Vodafone)
From a Landline :
The cheapest Irish telephone directory enquiry number to call from a Eir landline is 11888 – they charge €0.60 per call plus €0.50 per minute with a minimum 60c call charge (charged by the second thereafter). The only restriction is that you can only get one number at a time – but it’s rare that you would need more than one number.
- A 4 minute call from an Eir landline to 11888 would cost €2.10.
- Calling 11890 would cost you €7.64
- The most expensive 4 minute directory enquiry call from an Eir landline would be to 11811 – it would cost €19.95 !
- Other prices for a 4 minute directory enquiry call;
- 11824 = €11.00
- 11860 = €14.95
- 11822 = €3.36
The various landline telephone companies don’t all charge the same rates for calls to all the different directory enquiry lines .
On a Vodafone landline 11888 was the most expensive option – (€17.50 for a 4 minute call.) So – Vodafone landline customers should call 11824 or 11827 – for the cheapest rate . However it is still going to cost a hefty €4.25 for a 4 minute call !
If you use a Virgin Media landline – a 4-minute call to 11850 would cost €16. A 4-minute call to 11890 would cost €8.50
Cost of Calling Directory Enquiries in Ireland From a Mobile Phone
The directory enquiry charges from some of the mobile phone companies seem to have rocketed in the past year or so – and the difference in charges can be very large – so be careful which line you call (if any at all) .
Sample Cost of a 4-minute call to Directory Enquiries from mobile phones
- The cheapest option on Three prepay for a 4 minute call is to ring 11818 or 11860 . They will cost you €6.20. All others will cost €10.68
- Three bill pay is different – all directory enquiry calls of 4 minutes would cost €9.68 – except 11818 and 11860 – they would cost €10.68
- The cheapest directory enquiry number on Vodafone prepay is 11890 (€5.96 for a 4 min call). It would cost €10 to call to 11818 for 4 minutes.
- On Vodafone billpay the cheapest option is 11890 at €5.96 for 4 mins.
- Eir Mobile – the cheapest is €4.95 for a 4-minute call to 11888 or 11822
- Virgin Mobile would charge €17.15 for a 4 minute call to 11860 but only €2.45 for 11888
- Tesco Mobile The cheapest directory enquiry number on Tesco Mobile is 11888 ( €2.75 for 4 mins) . The most expensive number is 11860 from Tesco Mobile – a 4 min call would cost you €15.75 .
TIPS:
1. Use 11888 for the lowest directory enquiry rates in the majority of cases. (Not Vodafone or Three)
2. Where possible – write down the number they give you and ring it yourself. They may offer to connect you – but the charge for connecting the call will be much higher than calling it yourself.
3. Of course – if you have access to the internet – Google and the 11890 online search are both free for finding residential and business numbers – so you might be able to avoid using expensive directory enquiries.
Information about 1890 call costs
Charges checked June 2023