Premium rate services (“PRS”) are goods and services that you can buy by using your landline, mobile phone, the Internet, interactive digital TV or fax. The range of PRS has grown considerably in recent years, allowing access to information, advice and entertainment services as well as facilitating audience participation in TV and radio shows.
Examples of PRS include:
Calls and texts to PRS typically cost more than ordinary telephone calls/texts depending on the prefix number or shortcode. Check the cost of calling or texting PRS from your phone with your own phone company (landline, mobile or cable) as they may charge an additional amount to the advertised rate.
Premium rate voice services have a 15 prefix (e.g. 1515 or 1530) and premium rate text services are five digit short codes beginning with the number 5 (e.g. 57XXX). Calls and texts to PRS typically cost more than ordinary telephone calls/texts depending on the prefix number or shortcode. Check the cost of calling or texting PRS from your phone with your own phone company (landline, mobile or cable) as they may charge an additional amount to the advertised rate.
Charges for premium rate services vary depending on what service you are using.
Some services are much more expensive than others so you need to know the cost of any call or text which you might make. You should check the cost of calling/texting a premium rate number from your phone with your own phone company (landline, mobile or cable) as they may charge an additional amount to the advertised rate.
Phone calls
Calls to premium rate services cost more than ordinary telephone calls. Below is the set of charges you can expect to incur when you call certain premium rate services:
| 1512 numbers | Not exceeding €0.50 per call |
| 1513 numbers | Not exceeding €0.70 per call |
| 1514 numbers | Not exceeding €0.90 per call |
| 1515 numbers | Not exceeding €1.20 per call |
| 1516 numbers | Not exceeding €1.80 per call |
| 1517 numbers | Not exceeding €2.50 per call |
| 1518 numbers | Not exceeding €3.50 per call |
| 1520 numbers | Not exceeding €0.30 per minute |
| 1530 numbers | Not exceeding €0.50 per minute |
| 1540 numbers | Not exceeding €0.70 per minute |
| 1550 numbers | Not exceeding €1.20 per minute |
| 1560 numbers | Not exceeding €1.80 per minute |
| 1570 numbers | Not exceeding €2.40 per minute |
| 1580 numbers | Not exceeding €2.95 per minute |
| 1590 numbers | Not exceeding €3.50 per minute |
Note that some services are charged per call and some per minute. Network charges may vary, the cost of calling/texting a premium rate number from your phone with your own phone company (landline, mobile or cable).
Texts
Sending or receiving a text from a premium rate service (for example, to enter a competition or cast a vote) may cost more than the normal cost of a normal text message. The costs vary depending on the prefix of the five-digit short code number and below is the set of charges which you can expect to be charged when you text certain premium rate text services:
SMS/text short codes are usually five-digit numbers beginning with 5 i.e. 5XXXX.
Please be aware that before you sign up to an SMS/text service, you should check that your handset is able to receive the service (not all handsets can receive all services offered e.g. video).
It is also important to check whether you’re signing up for a one-off service (where you’re billed once) or whether you’re signing up for a subscription service (where you’re billed on a regular basis).
Phone-paid/premium rate SMS/text short codes are allocated to service providers in accordance with a Code of Practice, administered by ComReg.
As part of this Code of Practice, companies providing subscription services must make it clear to you that you’re signing up for a subscription service and must supply you with the following details:
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