Premium SMS and third-party billing block
How do we let a customer turn premium SMS and third-party billing on or off, with the block written to the account and enforced on the bill?
Make the block a verified preference the billing system enforces. Callvu identifies the account holder, prefills the lines and the current third-party billing settings (the premium SMS and direct carrier billing permissions, any existing block, the third-party charges on recent bills), presents the choice per line or for the whole account in plain words (what the block stops, what it does not, that it is free, how to lift it), captures the account holder's choice with the authentication a billing setting requires, writes the block to the billing system and the messaging platform so new third-party charges and premium messages are refused at the source, and confirms it to the customer with the charges the block will prevent. The block is free and the disclosure is on every bill.
In scopeSimpleCallvu moves: prefill, write back
Last updated November 7, 2026.
The problem today
The customer asked for the block after the second cramming charge, and the third one came from a channel the agent did not know existed.
Third-party charges on phone bills (premium text subscriptions, direct carrier billing for apps and content) are the source of the cramming complaints the regulators have pursued for a decade. Customers want them off; carriers must offer a free block and tell customers about it on the bill; agents apply a block in one system and the charges keep arriving through another.
The block is a setting with a scope: per line or per account, premium SMS and direct carrier billing separately or together, enforced where the charges originate (the messaging aggregators and the billing gateway) and reflected on the bill. The truth-in-billing rules and the cramming consent decrees require the block to be free, disclosed and effective. A block the customer sets on their own screen, written to both systems, is a block that holds.
A free block that works is the end of the cramming complaint.
How it runs
From the requestto the system of record.
A customer asks to block (or unblock) third-party billing or premium messaging in the app, on the website, by chat, with an agent or after a charge dispute. Callvu identifies them and prefills the settings.
- Account holder
- Chooses the block per line or for the account and confirms with authentication.
- Agent
- Sends the link on a call and sees the setting's status.
- Callvu
- Prefills, explains, captures, writes to both systems and confirms.
Prefill the settings
The lines on the account, the current premium SMS and direct carrier billing permissions per line, any existing block and the third-party charges on recent bills are prefilled from the billing system and the messaging platform.
Present the choice
The block is explained in plain words: it stops new premium SMS subscriptions and third-party charges from being billed to the line or the account, it does not stop ordinary messaging or charges from the carrier itself, it is free, and it can be lifted the same way; the customer chooses per line or for the whole account, for premium SMS, third-party billing or both.
Capture with authentication
The account holder confirms the choice with the authentication a billing setting requires (an authorized user may be allowed to block but not to unblock, under the account's permissions); a request from someone who is not the account holder is explained and declined.
Write back and confirm
The block is written to the billing system (so a third-party charge is refused at the billing gateway) and to the messaging platform (so premium short codes are refused for the line), the confirmation goes to the customer with the effective time, and the block's status appears on the account and the bill's disclosure.
Where it ends: The account holder set the block on their own screen, it is written to the billing system, the system of record, and to the messaging platform so the charges stop at the source, and the confirmation shows what it prevents. The Decision Trace shows the scope chosen and the authentication; the Audit Trace shows the request, the writes and the confirmation.
Runtime enforcement
What is enforcedwhile the work runs.
The regulations preloaded in Callvu Studio and the bank's own policies, applied as steps that run, not lines in a binder. A step that breaks a rule does not run, so a completed run was compliant.
The handoff
Between the front doorand the back office.
The front door
The app, the website, chat, a call with a link, or the unauthorized charge process's offer after a dispute.
The back office
No queue; the billing gateway and the messaging platform enforce the block from the write.
The Decision Desk
- A block request from someone who is not the account holder and lacks the permission, or an unblock on an account with a cramming history, goes to the billing desk in the Decision Desk with the account and only the allowed outcomes.
Proof
In scope.Proof at scale, not one process at a time.
The kind of process Callvu runs in production for customers in this industry. Ask for a reference on this exact process. The results below are the industry's published proof; each claim code links to its record on agents.callvu.com.
More than 1,000 processes are live across Callvu customers.
Across Callvu customers
AT&T runs close to 100 processes on Callvu, used by 55,000 agents.
Questions
What buyers ask next,answered plainly.
What does the block stop?
New premium SMS subscriptions and third-party charges from being billed to the line or the account, at the billing gateway and the messaging platform; it does not stop ordinary messaging or the carrier's own charges.
Is it free?
Yes, the rules require a free block, disclosed on the bill, available in every channel.
Who can set it?
The authenticated account holder; an authorized user's permissions are applied, and a non-holder's request is declined with the explanation.
Related processes
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