Patent ID: 8825003

Claim:
A method for providing variable rate prepaid telecommunications services, the method comprising: at a network routing element separate from a prepaid platform that maintains prepaid account balances for prepaid subscribers, wherein the network routing element is configured to receive, modify, and route signaling messages: receiving a signaling message from the prepaid platform that includes an available credit value associated with a prepaid communications session initiated by a prepaid calling party subscriber to a premium service called party destination, wherein the signaling message is sent by the prepaid platform as a response message directed to a query message originator via the network routing element in reply to a query message sent by the query message originator to the prepaid platform via the network routing element, wherein the prepaid calling party subscriber has a static prepaid calling rate established at the prepaid platform that is applied to mobile originated prepaid communication sessions initiated by the prepaid calling party subscriber, and wherein the premium service called party destination is associated with a calling rate that differs from the static prepaid calling rate; determining a credit adjustment factor based on the premium service called party destination; applying the credit adjustment factor to the available credit value to generate an adjusted available credit value; modifying the signaling message received from the prepaid platform to include the adjusted available credit value; and transmitting the modified signaling message including the adjusted available credit value to the query message originator.