If you are wondering where your credit has gone or what the charges on your bill are for, they may be a result of premium services.
Premium rate services are any calls or texts from private companies which cost more than the standard rate. Examples of premium services include television voting (e.g. The X Factor), donating to charities via text, competitions (e.g. The Late Late Show) and other entertainment services.
Calls
Premium rate phone lines generally operate on 15XX numbers. Calls to premium rate services cost more than standard calls.
Texts
Premium rate text services are texts to and from five-digit short code numbers (e.g. 53XXX or 57XXX). Sending a text to a premium rate service will cost more than a standard text. It is important to note that you will be charged for receiving these texts, and that some of these services are subscription services that send texts regularly.
What are the charges for premium rate services?
Charges for these services vary depending on what service you are using, your service provider, and what number you are calling/texting. For example, calling a 1513 number costs 70c per minute and 1590 number costs €3.50 per minute.
For a full breakdown of charges for premium rate services, see Three’s Price Guides.
I’m receiving premium texts – how do I stop them?
If you are receiving premium service texts, text back STOP to the five digit number you are receiving texts from. It may take between 24-48 hours for the company to unsubscribe, after which you should no longer receive any messages from them.
Can I get a refund on these charges?
For those of you wishing to dispute this subscription, contact help@pfi.me via email and include the short-code (5-digit code) you are being charged for. We would recommend that you share details of dates/times of charges incurred as per your bill/usage display.
How can I check if a number is a premium rate service?
ComReg have a handy tool on their website that allows you to look up unknown names or numbers on your bill and check if they are a premium rate service. You can also find more info about premium rate services at comreg.ie/premium-rate.
How can I avoid these charges in the future?
To avoid being charged for premium rate services in the future, we recommend:
- Carefully read the terms and conditions before texting to enter a competition, voting in a television show, using a chatline, or any other type of entertainment service.
- Be wary of anything advertised as free that requires you to call or text them to receive your prize.
- Keep an eye on your credit or allowances via your My3 account, to ensure that you are not being charged more than expected for your calls and texts.
How can I remove Premium Services from my number?
Three customers now have the option to request the blocking of receiving premium services.
Please note that this will block all premium services by text.
Examples include:
- Television voting (e.g. Dancing with the Stars, The X Factor)
- Quizzes and competitions (e.g. The Late Late Show, local or national radio competitions)
- Charity donations
- Digital content (e.g. music, videos, wallpapers, games)
- Psychic or other entertainment services
Remember that this will also include premium voice calls.
If you would like to cancel premium services on your Three account via the 3Community, you can post a new topic or contact one of our Moderators. We will need you to provide your account details (name, number, address and date of birth) with us, and we will do the rest 😊
If you have a question about your bill, read our blog about Understanding your Paper Bill, or start a new topic with your question.
If you are receiving calls from unknown international numbers, take a look at our blog about Spam, Scam and Phishing Calls.