A billing method for requesting contents or data in a network in which the client or the person representing the client has a certificate for the billing method. Said certificate contains data that prove the client's identity and that facilitate establishment of a bill or statement. The Secure Socket Layer (SSL) protocol or a variant of the SSL protocol which allows display of a dialog box may be used for the client-server connection, using an SSL client certificate that contains an extension indicating that the certificate is suitable for the purpose of billing, the server transmitting the price for the required content or the data during the handshake protocol. A confirmation message that is also contained in the SSL protocol and that contains a digital signature is sent from the client to the server, said confirmation message confirming the previously transmitted price.