How do you text from the US to France?

How do I (from the U.S.) send a text to a 5-digit number in France?

• There's something in France that has one of those automated 5-digit numbers where you text a certain word to it or something. I'm texting from a U.S. cell phone and want to know how to do this. I've already texted my friend in France with a regular 10-digit phone number using the international code and country code, and it worked fine. This is how I did it: His number in France is: 06 71 61 XX XX and it worked for me to text to: 011 33 6 71 61 XX XX (dropping the 0 before the number after adding the French country code (33) as I learned to do). On the thing that has the 5-digit French number, the number is 81XXX. I've already tried texting the promo code to 011 33 81XXX. But that did not work from both of the two cell phones I tried texting it from. If someone could please help me figure this out or tell me how to do it if you know, I would greatly appreciate that! Thanks!!

• Answer:

  are you by any chance checking to see what that text to France cost you?