Skip to main content
Question

to enter competitions

  • April 30, 2026
  • 1 reply
  • 12 views

I want to be able to enter competitions via txt message. My old network provider was so easy. ID mobile isnt

1 reply

Owethu M
iD Mobile Employee
Forum|alt.badge.img+8
  • iD Mobile Employee
  • May 1, 2026

Hi ​@LDavies

I hear your frustration, but let’s be clear: iD Mobile provides these controls to protect you from unexpected charges. If you want to enter competitions, you have to take responsibility for managing your own account settings and spending limits.  

 

To enter premium SMS competitions, you need to ensure three specific settings are adjusted in the iD Mobile app. Follow these instructions exactly:

1. Increase Your Bill Cap
By default, your Bill Cap might be set to £0, which blocks all out-of-plan charges—including competition entries.

  • Log in to the iD Mobile app.  
  • Tap the 'Bills' tab.  
  • Select 'Manage bill cap'.  
  • Adjust the slider to an amount above £0 (e.g., £5 or £10).  
  • Tap 'Save' to confirm.  

Note: If you don't have a cap that covers the cost of the text, it will fail every time.

 

2. Enable Premium Rate Services
Even with a bill cap, the feature itself must be toggled "On."

  • Go to the 'Plan' tab in the app.  
  • Select 'Manage your iD services'.  
  • Find 'Premium Rate Services' and ensure the toggle is set to 'On'.

 

3. Adult Content Filter (Verification)
Some competition short-codes are classified under "Adult Content" (such as gambling or certain late-night TV competitions).

  • In the 'Plan' tab, go to 'Manage your iD services'.  
  • Select 'Adult content filter' and switch it 'Off'.  
  • Important: To disable this, you will need a valid credit card for age verification. This is a legal requirement; we cannot bypass this for you.

 

A Quick Warning
Competition texts are expensive (often £2.00+ per message). Once you increase your bill cap and enable these features, you are responsible for any charges incurred. If you see an error on your handset specifically (e.g., "Message failed to send"), check your phone's internal settings to ensure "Premium SMS access" is set to "Always allow."

 

Restart your phone after making these changes to ensure they sync with the network.

 

Owethu