reverse the charges

reverse the charges — idiom

1. to call someone by telephone in such a way that the cost of the call is billed t

1.idiomB1
Definition

to call someone by telephone in such a way that the cost of the call is billed to the person you are calling rather than to you

Example

Mayumi called her brother in Osaka and reversed the charges for the call.

When Adina's phone ran out of credit, she reversed the charges from a hotel phone.

context: caller has no credit, uses third-party phone

Common collocations
  • reverse the charges on a call
  • reverse the charges from a phone
  • reverse the charges to someone
  • let someone reverse the charges
  • allow someone to reverse the charges
Synonyms
  • call collect

    American English equivalent; used as a verb phrase ('call collect') rather than 'reverse the charges'

Grammar Patterns

[person] + reverse + the + charges + [prepositional phrase]

Usage Note

This idiom is standard in British English. The American English equivalent is 'call collect.' The noun is always plural — 'the charges,' never 'the charge.' The verb 'reverse' can be conjugated through all tenses (reversed, reverses, reversing).

Common Mistakes

I reversed the charge to my mother.
I reversed the charges when I called my mother.
The phrase always uses the plural 'charges.'
I reverse-charged the call to my office.
I reversed the charges on the call to my office.
'Reverse the charges' is a fixed phrase; do not hyphenate it as a compound verb.
She reversed the charges call.
She reversed the charges on the call.
The preposition 'on' is needed to link the phrase to the call.

Etymology

English

This phrase comes from the early days of the telephone system in the late 1800s, when an operator would manually 'reverse' the billing — changing who was charged for a call from the caller to the receiver. The verb 'reverse' here means 'to turn or change to the opposite direction or position,' and 'charges' refers to the cost of the telephone service. The expression became fixed in British English telephone terminology and remains the standard term in the UK, Australia, and other Commonwealth countries.