Understanding text credits
The cost of sending and receiving a text message is determined by a couple of factors. You’ll need to purchase credits according to the number of texts you want to send each month, the content of those messages, and their length.
Text credits are billed on a monthly basis through prepaid plans. You select a plan according to the anticipated number of credits you will need, and any associated charges will be documented on your invoice.
What is a text credit?
A segment is a unit of a text message. While most modern carriers now automatically stitch longer text messages together into a cohesive block of text, an SMS message still technically spans multiple segments once it exceeds a certain number of characters.
How do I know how many credits will be used in a text blast?
As you write your text message, you'll see the number of credits used per recipient increase in the control panel.
Sending an SMS message with 1 segment worth of text will continue to cost 1 credit per recipient.
Sending an SMS message with 2 segments worth of text will cost 2 credits per recipient.
Sending an MMS message will cost 3 credits per recipient.
An SMS exceeding 3 segments will be sent as an MMS, and cost 3 credits per recipient.
Inbound messages will continue to be limited to 1 segment and will cost 1 credit.
The total number of credits used by a text blast is equal to the number of recipients in the blast times the number of segments within the message. For example, if you write a text message that is 200 characters long, it will be a 2-segment message. This message will cost 2 credits per recipient. If you send this text message to 100 recipients, it will cost 200 credits in total.
If you add an emoji to this text message, it will become a 3 segment message. This message will cost 3 credits per recipient. If you send this text message to 100 recipients, it will cost 300 credits in total.
How many credits are used by a 1:1 message?
A 1:1 text message (sent or received) can only be 1 segment long, and will therefore cost 1 credit per message.
What counts as a character?
One single letter or number = 1 character
An emoji (😊) or special character (€) = 2 characters
When are credits used?
Your credits are used each time you:
send a text blast
send a 1:1 text message
receive a 1:1 text message Both sent and received texts contribute to your total credit usage. For example, sending 100 texts and receiving 50 would count as using 150 credits in total. Sending test messages can consume credits even while drafting a text blast. The number of credits depends on the length of the message and will be displayed as you build the text.
If you exceed your text limit, you will be automatically upgraded to the next pricing tier in your following billing period.
Your text capacity will reset each month, even if you are paying on a non-monthly frequency. To check your text credit balance, log into the control panel, go to the "Text Blast" section, and open or create a draft message to view your remaining credits for the month. Unused credits do not roll over to the next month, so it is crucial to select a plan that aligns closely with your needs.
Workflow example
You have created an event and you're using text keywords to collect RSVPs. You draft a text blast to your supporters and ask them to reply with "attend" to RSVP to your event.
The text blast is 2 segments long. When a supporter replies, you send them a confirmation text and then prompt them to provide their name and email.
The request for their name will be included in the confirmation text, which will cost 1 credit. Their response with their name will cost 1 credit. The prompt for their email address will cost 1 credit, and their response to this message will cost 1 credit.
In total, the interaction with this supporter will cost 6 credits (2 for the invite, and 4 for the subsequent auto replies and supporter responses).
MMS requirements and pricing
To send an image in a text, create a new text message from your broadcaster and select Add image after the body of the text. Images can be GIF (static or animated), PNG, or JPG, and must be under 1MB file size.
If you add an image to your text message, it automatically becomes an MMS message, charged at 3 credits per recipient. From there, you can add up to 1,600 standard characters in addition to the image. MMS are charged at 3 credits each regardless of length, and no SMS or MMS will cost more than that.
MMS texts are not supported in 1:1 messages at this time.
⚠️ Please note: Some recipients may have their phone set to “light mode” or “dark mode”. This could affect how your media displays on their devices. You can send yourself a test text to try out different recipient experiences.