premium-rate telephone number

Meanings

1. A telephone number for which an extra charge is assessed to the caller, part of which is returned to the owner of the number.

Etymology

In the original North American Numbering Plan, phone numbers beginning with an area code of 800 were reserved for so called toll-free numbers, where the party receiving the call pays the charges. The telephone companies later developed a corresponding set of numbers beginning with the area code 900, which would permit the owner of the number to receive additional fees from the caller.