Numbers starting with 05 are fixed geographic numbers assigned to the South-West of France and certain overseas territories. By definition, a 05 is not a premium rate number. Premium rates in French telephony concern numbers starting with 08 (from 0810) and certain short numbers, not geographic prefixes like 01, 02, 03, 04, or 05.
The confusion often arises from fraudulent calls that display a 05 number to appear local and encourage a callback to another number, which is actually premium rate. Understanding the mechanics of French numbering allows you to differentiate in just a few seconds.
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Prefix 05 and numbering plan: why premium rates do not apply
The national numbering plan, managed by Arcep, segments French numbers into ranges. Ten-digit numbers starting with 01 to 05 are reserved for geographic fixed lines. Each prefix corresponds to a zone: 01 for Île-de-France, 05 for the South-West (Aquitaine, Midi-Pyrénées, certain DOM).
Value-added services (VAS), the only ones allowed to charge a premium rate, exclusively use numbers starting with 08 or short numbers of four, six, or ten digits starting with 3 or 1. A 05 number cannot technically carry a “paying service” component in the sense of the numbering plan. You will also find information on Comme Vous Voulez that details this distinction between geographic prefix and special number.
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A call to a 05 is therefore charged at the rate of a local or national call, depending on your operator and plan. The vast majority of mobile and fixed plans in France include calls to geographic numbers at no extra cost.
Premium rate numbers starting with 08: the pricing signals to know
To identify a premium rate number, the rule applies to numbers starting with 08, not 05. Arcep has established a color code associated with three pricing tiers.
- Green numbers (0800 to 0805): call and service are free. No charges for either the call or the content of the service.
- Gray numbers (0806 to 0809): call charged at the price of a standard call, with no premium for the service. The cost depends solely on your plan.
- Purple numbers (0810 and beyond, notably 0890 to 0899): premium rate call. The price includes the call plus a specific service charge, billed by the minute or per call.
This signaling (green, gray, purple) must appear on the communication materials of the company using the number. In the absence of this mention, caution is warranted.
Short numbers and premium rates
Short numbers (four or six digits) follow a similar logic. Four-digit numbers starting with 3 can be free, normally priced, or premium rate depending on the range. A short number starting with 1 is generally a public or emergency service, thus not premium rate.
The confusion between a 05 and a premium rate number does not withstand this framework: only 08 and certain short numbers carry a premium rate.
Number spoofing with 05: the real risk to identify
The real danger associated with 05 numbers does not come from the premium rate but from telephone identity theft, known as “spoofing.” A fraudster can display a 05 number on your screen while the call originates from a completely different network, sometimes foreign.
The goal is twofold: to gain your trust with a local prefix, then to entice you to call back a different number (often in 089x) or to provide personal data. The displayed 05 number is merely a decoy.
Warning signs of a suspicious call to a 05
- The call lasts one or two rings then hangs up, prompting a callback to a premium number slipped into a follow-up SMS.
- A voicemail or SMS asks you to call a number different from the one displayed, often in 08 or international.
- The caller claims to represent your bank, a delivery service, or an administration, and pressures you to provide a code or call a specific number.
A legitimate 05 number will never prompt you to call back a 089x. If an SMS received after a missed call to a 05 contains a number in 08 or a link, it should be ignored.
Check a suspicious number: practical tools and reflexes
The reverse directory for VAS, accessible online, allows you to check who owns a number in 08 or a short number, and to know its exact pricing. For a 05 number, a standard reverse directory is sufficient to identify the subscriber or the company holding the line.
The service 33700, set up by operators and public authorities in France, allows you to report any suspicious number or message via SMS. Forwarding the fraudulent SMS to 33700 triggers a verification procedure by the operators.
On the phone bill, calls to 05 numbers appear in the national calls section. If an abnormal amount appears on a line identified as 05, the issue is more likely to be a billing error than a premium rate, since the 05 prefix does not allow for charging a value-added service.
The distinction between a geographic number and a special number is based on the prefix, not on the caller’s behavior. A 05 remains a fixed number from the South-West, regardless of the content of the conversation. The risk is not the premium rate of the number itself, but what a fraudster attempts to make you do after the call.