What are common types of premium rate numbers found internationally?
Posted: Sat May 24, 2025 3:36 am
Premium rate numbers are specialized telephone numbers that charge callers a higher-than-normal tariff for the call. A portion of this higher charge is then passed on to the service provider, effectively allowing businesses or individuals to monetize content, information, or services delivered over the phone. These numbers are distinguished by unique prefixes that vary significantly from country to country, and their use is typically heavily regulated due to the potential for consumer exploitation.
Here are some common types of premium rate services found internationally:
Information and Advice Lines:
Examples: Weather forecasts, news headlines, sports results, stock market updates, horoscopes, legal advice, medical advice, technical support lines, or general information services (e.g., directory inquiries like 118 numbers in the UK).
How they work: Callers pay a per-minute or per-call fee to access recorded or live information.
Entertainment Services:
Examples: Chat lines, dating services, adult content lines, psychic readings, recorded stories, jokes, or celebrity gossip lines.
How they work: These services typically charge a high per-minute rate and are often associated with age restrictions due to their content.
Competitions, Quizzes, and Voting Lines:
Examples: TV show voting lines (e.g., for reality shows like Britain's Got Talent), radio contests, lottery results, or interactive quizzes.
How they work: Callers pay a fixed per-call fee or a per-minute romania phone number list rate to cast a vote, enter a competition, or participate in a quiz. These are very common during live broadcast events.
Charity Donations:
Examples: Many charities use premium rate SMS short codes (e.g., 70xxx in the UK) or specific premium rate numbers for one-off or recurring donations.
How they work: When a user sends a text or makes a call to a designated premium rate number, a pre-set donation amount (or a portion of the call charge) is automatically added to their phone bill and passed on to the charity.
Customer Support or "Connection" Services:
Examples: In some countries, third-party companies operate premium rate numbers that connect callers to the customer service lines of well-known organizations (e.g., airlines, banks, government departments).
How they work: Callers pay a premium to use these "information, connection, and signposting services" (ICSS), which essentially act as a middleman. Regulators often require clear disclosure that these are third-party services and state the cost.
Downloadable Content/Subscription Services (often via SMS):
Examples: Ringtones, wallpapers, games, mobile content subscriptions, or alerts (e.g., sports score alerts).
How they work: Users might text a keyword to a premium rate short code to subscribe to a service or download content. The cost is then added to their phone bill, sometimes on a recurring (subscription) basis. These are often controversial due to unclear pricing or unwanted subscriptions.
International Prefixes and Regulations:
The prefixes for premium rate numbers vary significantly by country:
North American Numbering Plan (NANP - USA, Canada, etc.): Historically, 900 numbers were the primary premium rate numbers. Newer ranges like 976 (local premium) also exist.
United Kingdom: Common prefixes include 09, 087, and 084. Specific prefixes within these ranges often denote different types of services or price bands. SMS short codes (e.g., 70xxx, 8xxxx, 6xxxx) are also widely used.
Europe (various countries): Prefixes like 090x (e.g., 0900, 0901, 0906 in Switzerland or Belgium) are common, with the subsequent digits often indicating the service type (business, entertainment, adult) or pricing structure (per-minute, per-call).
Asia: Countries like Armenia (900), Indonesia (0809), and Japan (0570) have their own specific prefixes.
Due to the higher charges, premium rate numbers are subject to strict regulations in most countries, often managed by independent bodies (like Ofcom in the UK or regulatory commissions elsewhere). These regulations typically mandate:
Clear and prominent disclosure of the cost of the call/service.
Rules against misleading advertising.
Mechanisms for consumers to complain and seek refunds for fraudulent services.
Age restrictions for certain types of content (e.g., adult services).
While premium rate numbers offer a legitimate business model for content and service providers, they are also frequently exploited by fraudsters and scammers globally, making consumer awareness and robust regulatory oversight crucial.
Here are some common types of premium rate services found internationally:
Information and Advice Lines:
Examples: Weather forecasts, news headlines, sports results, stock market updates, horoscopes, legal advice, medical advice, technical support lines, or general information services (e.g., directory inquiries like 118 numbers in the UK).
How they work: Callers pay a per-minute or per-call fee to access recorded or live information.
Entertainment Services:
Examples: Chat lines, dating services, adult content lines, psychic readings, recorded stories, jokes, or celebrity gossip lines.
How they work: These services typically charge a high per-minute rate and are often associated with age restrictions due to their content.
Competitions, Quizzes, and Voting Lines:
Examples: TV show voting lines (e.g., for reality shows like Britain's Got Talent), radio contests, lottery results, or interactive quizzes.
How they work: Callers pay a fixed per-call fee or a per-minute romania phone number list rate to cast a vote, enter a competition, or participate in a quiz. These are very common during live broadcast events.
Charity Donations:
Examples: Many charities use premium rate SMS short codes (e.g., 70xxx in the UK) or specific premium rate numbers for one-off or recurring donations.
How they work: When a user sends a text or makes a call to a designated premium rate number, a pre-set donation amount (or a portion of the call charge) is automatically added to their phone bill and passed on to the charity.
Customer Support or "Connection" Services:
Examples: In some countries, third-party companies operate premium rate numbers that connect callers to the customer service lines of well-known organizations (e.g., airlines, banks, government departments).
How they work: Callers pay a premium to use these "information, connection, and signposting services" (ICSS), which essentially act as a middleman. Regulators often require clear disclosure that these are third-party services and state the cost.
Downloadable Content/Subscription Services (often via SMS):
Examples: Ringtones, wallpapers, games, mobile content subscriptions, or alerts (e.g., sports score alerts).
How they work: Users might text a keyword to a premium rate short code to subscribe to a service or download content. The cost is then added to their phone bill, sometimes on a recurring (subscription) basis. These are often controversial due to unclear pricing or unwanted subscriptions.
International Prefixes and Regulations:
The prefixes for premium rate numbers vary significantly by country:
North American Numbering Plan (NANP - USA, Canada, etc.): Historically, 900 numbers were the primary premium rate numbers. Newer ranges like 976 (local premium) also exist.
United Kingdom: Common prefixes include 09, 087, and 084. Specific prefixes within these ranges often denote different types of services or price bands. SMS short codes (e.g., 70xxx, 8xxxx, 6xxxx) are also widely used.
Europe (various countries): Prefixes like 090x (e.g., 0900, 0901, 0906 in Switzerland or Belgium) are common, with the subsequent digits often indicating the service type (business, entertainment, adult) or pricing structure (per-minute, per-call).
Asia: Countries like Armenia (900), Indonesia (0809), and Japan (0570) have their own specific prefixes.
Due to the higher charges, premium rate numbers are subject to strict regulations in most countries, often managed by independent bodies (like Ofcom in the UK or regulatory commissions elsewhere). These regulations typically mandate:
Clear and prominent disclosure of the cost of the call/service.
Rules against misleading advertising.
Mechanisms for consumers to complain and seek refunds for fraudulent services.
Age restrictions for certain types of content (e.g., adult services).
While premium rate numbers offer a legitimate business model for content and service providers, they are also frequently exploited by fraudsters and scammers globally, making consumer awareness and robust regulatory oversight crucial.