There's a provider I'm interested in seeing who's quite some distance away. On her website she doesn't specify a rate. Her profile on TER shows $600 per hour, but I have no idea if that's correct.

There's nothing wrong in asking "Is $600/hr the correct gift for your time?"

There's no reason you can not ask what the gift is for an hour or X hours...  after you've checked her ads & web site.

I always thought discussing money on the phone or in emails when setting up a first date was verboten.

I know it's an uncomfortable situation for you, so you have a choice, either pay her TER rate, or ask her.  As long as you do not mention any sexual activities in your query, you should be OK.  Just say something like, "is the rate on your profile the correct one for an hour of your time?"  However, if that amount is the only one you can find, I suspect that is what she will want for her time.  It only gets confusing when an ad in one place says one amount, and an ad on another site has a different amount.  That's what I don't like, along with an ad that tells you to look on her website for her rates, and the site says call for rates.  If I see that, I move on.

Dear Tabu:
As an Ivy League Graduate, it is not that you asked it is how you ask.  If you say would there be a website or a place where I could ascertain more about your compensation as it is related to time? One would be achieving their objective but being legally and politically correct.

When they say not to discuss money on the phone or by email, this means never discuss money AND sex. You can't ask "How much for a BBBJ?" But you can ask, "How much for an hour of your time?" or "Is the rate on your TER profile correct?" Or "Is 600 the correct donation amount?"

We all know profiles are not always up to date.

Thanks again, everyone. I just assumed that any talk of money anywhere was a touchy thing.