Link: iGamingBusiness.com > World First: Magazine Subscriptions by SMS
Bluff Europe (www.bluffeurope.com) is the first magazine in the world to offer its magazine subscriptions by SMS. By texting ‘bluff’ to short code 60155, poker enthusiasts can subscribe to the magazine and pay via their mobile phone bill. This innovative subscription service costs users £3 per month, which they pay via their phone bill through any UK mobile provider.
Once the SMS is sent by the subscriber to Bluff Europe, the sender receives a confirmation SMS followed by phone call from a subscriptions representative who takes the subscribers mailing address information. The subscriber will then get a copy of Bluff Europe sent directly to his home each month following. Once the magazine is dispatched, the user’s phone bill will be charged just £3.
Wot no 7 series shortcode?
iirc the operator guidelines now say you can run an ‘e-money’ (off-handset purchase) service on a non 7xxxx shortcode, however it must be dedicated to e-money services and pre-registered as such with the operators. Can’t be an existing shortcode that’s used for other SMS-related services.
Of course I could be wrong..
Incidently ICSTIS appear to have no record of 60155, and Three’s shortcode checker seems to be broken.
You can run an e-money service on a 6 or 8 range code (6 range codes can now bill at all tariffs – i.e. can go above the old £1 cap), supposedly there is only meant to be one e-money service per 6 or 8 digit code. It does *not* have to be a dedicated to e-money code. In practice, no one is going to care any more because the only carrier staff who ever cared about this have shifted roles.
Word.