A home Message Center (MC) in a telecommunications network is capable of receiving a short message, the short message being originated by an A-subscriber and destined to a B-subscriber, and determines that prepaid charging is applicable for the short message for at least one of the A-subscriber and the B-subscriber. A PrePaid Charging Service Control Point (PPC SCP) is connected to the home MC and is responsible of prepaid accounting for the at least one of the A-subscriber and the B-subscriber. The home MC sends to a PPC SCP an indication for notifying the PPC SCP that prepaid charging is applicable for the short message for the at least one of the A-subscriber and the B-subscriber, and based on the indication, the PPC SCP charges a prepaid account of the at least one of the A-subscriber and the B-subscriber for the short message.