Telephone Preference Service (TPS): How to Stop Cold Calls in the UK
TPS is the UK’s free do-not-call list. It cuts legal sales calls, but it cannot stop scammers, so it works best alongside call blocking.
By Siddharth ShankarUpdated October 18, 2026Register your landline or mobile with the Telephone Preference Service online at tpsonline.org.uk, by phone on 0345 070 0707 or by texting TPS and your email address to 85095 from your mobile. It is free. UK and overseas companies must not make sales calls to registered numbers. TPS does not stop scam calls, nuisance texts or calls from companies you gave consent to.
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The Telephone Preference Service is the official register for people in the UK who do not want sales and marketing calls. Companies must check it before calling. Registration is free, and the Information Commissioner’s Office confirms you can register a landline or a mobile.
How to register
1Online
Go to tpsonline.org.uk/register. Citizens Advice calls this the quickest way.
2By phone
Call 0345 070 0707, an automated line that runs 24 hours a day.
3By text
From your mobile, text TPS and your email address to 85095.
You will need your phone number, postcode and email address. See Citizens Advice’s guide to nuisance calls for the full details.
What TPS stops
- Sales and marketing calls from UK or overseas companies to your registered number.
- Fundraising calls from charities.
Citizens Advice says that if you still get nuisance calls 28 days after registering, you should take further steps, so allow about four weeks for it to work.
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What TPS does not stop
- Scam calls. Criminals ignore the register. Report scams to Report Fraud, or Police Scotland in Scotland.
- Companies you agreed to hear from. If you gave a company consent before you registered, it can still call. Tell it directly to stop.
- Nuisance texts. Forward spam texts free to 7726, which reports them to your mobile network.
- Companies that break the rules. Report them so the regulator can act.
How to report calls that keep coming
Report cold calls to the ICO using its online nuisance calls reporting tool, whether the call was a recording or a real person. The ICO uses these reports to investigate and fine companies. Silent or abandoned calls go to Ofcom.
Extra steps when calls keep coming
1Use your phone’s call blocking
Most smartphones can silence unknown callers or block numbers. Landline providers often offer call-blocking services too. Citizens Advice suggests checking that blockers will not stop calls you want.
2Ask your phone provider
Many UK providers have free tools to block nuisance or international calls.
3Tell companies to stop
If a company you once dealt with keeps calling, tell it clearly that you object to marketing calls. It must stop.
4Keep a log
Note the date, time, number and company name. It makes an ICO report much more useful.
Business numbers
Businesses have their own register, the Corporate Telephone Preference Service (CTPS). If you are a sole trader taking cold calls on a business line, check which register applies to your number.
TPS and your data
Registering with TPS stops legal callers, but it does not delete your number from the lists they hold. If you want a company to remove your details, ask it to erase your data. See how to ask a UK organisation to erase your data, or use a subject access request to find out what it holds.
Common TPS scams
Some callers claim to be from TPS and ask for payment to register or to renew. TPS is free and does not need renewing. Hang up on anyone asking for money or bank details for TPS.
Make your number harder to find
Cold callers get numbers from marketing lists, data brokers and old breaches. TPS stops the legal ones from calling, but your number still circulates. See how to check if your phone number is public and how scammers get your phone number.
For junk post, the matching service is the Mailing Preference Service. In the US, the equivalent of TPS is the National Do Not Call Registry.
Sources
- ICO: Nuisance calls (TPS free, landlines and mobiles, consent before registering, reporting)
- Citizens Advice: Stop getting nuisance calls and texts (online, phone and text registration, 28 days, what TPS stops and does not, 7726)
Frequently asked questions
Is TPS free?
Yes. Registering with the Telephone Preference Service is free.
Can I register a mobile number?
Yes. You can register landlines and mobiles.
How long does TPS take to work?
Citizens Advice suggests taking further steps if calls continue 28 days after registering, so allow about four weeks.
Does TPS stop scam calls?
No. Scammers ignore the register. Report scams to Report Fraud, or Police Scotland in Scotland.
Where do I complain about a company that ignores TPS?
Report it to the ICO using its nuisance calls reporting tool.
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