The new program carries a price tag of 22 percent of the net license fee, which compares to 17 percent for the standard service.

Mike Perroni, president of the Americas' SAP Users' Group (ASUG) and vice president of IT at energy services provider Halliburton Co., said he's not interested in the new service, which is likely targeted at small and midsize companies.

"Large companies like Halliburton generally pay enough as is to get the same level of support from SAP as is being offered by Premium Support," he said. On the other hand, smaller companies "may in fact want to pay extra for the extra attention offered via the offering."

Yvonne Genovese, an analyst at Gartner Inc., said she expects few users to sign up for the service.

"I don't see the value for customers in paying an additional 5 percent in maintenance per year," she said.