To provide an information providing system and method capable of reducing the accounting load of a user which receives information without damaging convenience by flexible accounting management.

When terminal equipment is connected to a merchandise information server device with which the terminal equipment already has made a contract, the accounting information at the present point of time is recorded, and the accounting load is calculated and recorded. That is, a value calculated by subtracting a connecting time B when the request origin terminal equipment is connected to the merchandise information server device with which the terminal equipment already has made a contract from an integrated connecting time A when the terminal equipment is connected to a network 106 is multiplied by a connection fee M1 per unit time so that a user accounting load UR can be calculated. On the other hand, merchandise information provider accounting load PR is calculated form the connecting time B. Then, the load of the user is reduced only by the accounting load PR.