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How is SMS functionality charged?

MsgBox's SMS feature operates on a Credit-based prepaid model, allowing you to flexibly control your marketing budget.

1. Core Billing Standards​

  • Billing Unit: All text messages are billed by consuming Credits within your account.
  • Consumption Rules:
    • Mainland China SMS: Typically consumes 1 Credit per message.
    • International SMS: The number of Credits consumed per message varies depending on the carrier rates of the destination country.

2. Character Length and Splitting Rules​

Important: Character limits for a single SMS
  • Character Limit: The standard length for a single SMS is 78 characters (including signature, spaces, and punctuation).
  • Automatic Splitting: If your message content (including the actual characters after variable replacement) exceeds 78 characters, the carrier will automatically split it into multiple messages.
  • Billing Impact: Each split message will consume Credits separately. For example, a 150-character message will be treated as 2 messages for billing purposes.

3. Impact of Variables on Billing​

When you use variables like {{name}} or {{order_id}} in your template, the actual number of characters consumed depends on the specific content of that variable.

  • Example:
    • Template: "Hello {{name}}, your verification code is 1234."
    • If name is "Toby" (4 characters), the total length likely won't exceed the limit.
    • If name is "Alexander Hamilton" (18 characters), it might trigger split billing.

Financial Advice​

How to optimize SMS costs?
  1. Be Concise: Keep your wording as brief as possible while ensuring core information is clear, aiming to stay under the 78-character limit.
  2. Preview and Confirm: When Initiating an SMS Broadcast, always check the "Billing Preview" on the right. The system will estimate the total Credit consumption for the broadcast.
  3. Tiered Recharge: Purchasing larger Credit Packs typically offers a lower price per unit.

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