A method for providing postal rate tables through a data center and the transmission thereof to a service device, comprising storage of a multiplicity of postal rate tables and associated version data in a database and selection from the database of a data center which, after a service device dials into the data center, establishes a communication connection to the service device, wherein the version data comprise a version number and a start of the validity, characterized by the steps: - performance of automatic updating and correction of postal rate tables in the database, if necessary, by means of a module for the version data processing of a server of the data center, wherein the version data processing enables an automatic provision in the database of a plurality of updated postal rate tables corrected with respect to their version data, - acceptance of a communication connection with the data center started by the service device and - automatic selection of at least one postal table from the database of the data center for transmission to the service device by means of a second module of the server of the data center, wherein its selection takes place according to the version number or its sequence and the start of the validity, comprising - reporting of version data V of a postal rate table stored in the service device as part of the transmission of the versions of postal rates present in the service device to the data center, - determination of a currently valid postal rate table and checking its version data A for agreement with reported version data V of the service device in the second module of the data center, - determination of the next version A + 1 of a postal rate table valid in the future before the loading thereof into the service device, if agreement of version data A of the currently valid postal rate table with reported version data V of the current postal rate table of the service device is established in the second module of the data center, - determination of the currently up-to-date version A of a valid postal rate table before the loading thereof into the service device, if non-agreement of version data A of the currently valid postal rate table with reported version data V of the current postal rate table of the service device is established in the second module of the data center and if the currently valid postal rate table has the higher priority, wherein the currently valid postal rate table has the higher priority if the version data are higher than version data V of the postal rate table of the service device. - performance of automatic updating and correction of postal rate tables in the database, if necessary, by means of a module for the version data processing of a server of the data center, wherein the version data processing enables an automatic provision in the database of a plurality of updated postal rate tables corrected with respect to their version data, - acceptance of a communication connection with the data center started by the service device and - automatic selection of at least one postal table from the database of the data center for transmission to the service device by means of a second module of the server of the data center, wherein its selection takes place according to the version number or its sequence and the start of the validity, comprising - reporting of version data V of a postal rate table stored in the service device as part of the transmission of the versions of postal rates present in the service device to the data center, - determination of a currently valid postal rate table and checking its version data A for agreement with reported version data V of the service device in the second module of the data center, - determination of the next version A + 1 of a postal rate table valid in the future before the loading thereof into the service device, if agreement of version data A of the currently valid postal rate table with reported version data V of the current postal rate table of the service device is established in the second module of the data center, - determination of the currently up-to-date version A of a valid postal rate table before the loading thereof into the service device, if non-agreement of version data A of the currently valid postal rate table with reported version data V of the current postal rate table of the service device is established in the second module of the data center and if the currently valid postal rate table has the higher priority, wherein the currently valid postal rate table has the higher priority if the version data are higher than version data V of the postal rate table of the service device.