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Ministers finally hung up yesterday on costly charges for calls to public services.
Guidance issued to government departments by the Cabinet Office said it was "inappropriate" to use expensive 0845 numbers.
Calls from landlines can cost anywhere between 1p and 11p per minute while the cost for mobile users stretches between 14p and 41p.
The National Audit Office revealed callers, including victims of crime and the bereaved, were robbed of £56 million last year alone.
New guidelines accept that "it is inappropriate for callers to pay substantial charges for accessing core public services, particularly for vulnerable and low-income groups."
It orders departments to use 01, 02 and 03 numbers which are charged at standard geographic rates and are included within call packages.
"Where a non-geographic number is needed, departments should treat the use of the 03 prefix as a default policy position for the provision of key public services," the guidance states.
Consumer group Which? welcomed the decision but it pointed out there was no cut-off point given for the phasing out of premium-rate phone lines.
Research carried out by Which? earlier this year revealed that jobcentre plus, the Student Loans Company and the Pension Service were among those milking the public.
And executive director Richard Lloyd said: "This guidance is a step in the right direction but it's disappointing no deadline has been set and public bodies will still be able to use expensive 0845 numbers.
"People should not be left out of pocket when calling essential services so we need to see these new rules brought in as soon as possible, so that every government department plays fair."
Parliament's public accounts committee found last month that poorer people were more likely to use the hotlines to public services.
Chairwoman Margaret Hodge MP said it was good news the government had finally "listened to reason and relented.
"It was always wrong for any government department to levy these charges to often the most vulnerable in our community," she added.
