It's about the services, not how you pay

It has been suggested that consumers are pretty wary of paying through their phone bill (by using 09-numbers, or by texting in to pay or vote) after all the problems with ringtone subscriptions and TV voting over the past few years. Consumers don't see it that way, though.

Quite unsurprisingly, they focus on the services they get and the value that gives them - so if their vote can help Jedward escape (or get, depending on your preferences) the chop, they're quite happy with calling an 09 number to do so. If it's a question of a horoscope line, and that's not what tickles their fancy, reactions will be quite different, however.

Thinktank ran consumer groups, carried out quant research and even sized the market for all of these services for premium rate regulator PhonepayPlus. You can download a full report of all our findings about consumer attitudes to phonepaid services here.