SMS Billing and Usage

Manage your SMS messaging capacity with rolling monthly bundles that add to your base plan allocation. Monitor usage, receive automatic warnings, and scale your SMS capacity as your business grows.

Related Documentation: For information about your overall subscription plan and base SMS allocations, see Plans & Subscription Management.

How SMS Billing Works

Base Plan Allocation

Every business subscription includes a base number of SMS messages per month:

• Included in your plan: No additional cost for the base allocation
• Resets monthly: Quota resets at the start of each billing cycle
• Plan-specific: Higher-tier plans include more SMS messages

Additional SMS Bundles

Purchase additional SMS capacity through rolling monthly subscriptions:

• Rolling monthly billing: Independent of your main subscription cycle
• Immediate activation: Extra quota available right after purchase
• Cancel anytime: No long-term commitments
• Flexible scaling: Add or remove bundles as needed

Combined Quota

Your total monthly SMS capacity is calculated as:

Total SMS Quota = Base Plan SMS + Sum of All Active Bundles

Example: If your plan includes 500 SMS and you have two active bundles (250 SMS each), your total quota is 1,000 SMS per month.

Managing SMS Usage

Checking Your Usage

1. Go to Billing and click the SMS tab
2. View current statistics:
   • Total quota (base plan + bundles)
   • Messages sent this billing period
   • Percentage used
   • Messages remaining
3. Monitor billing period dates to know when quota resets

Usage Tracking

• Real-time updates: Usage numbers update immediately as SMS are sent
• Billing period tracking: Shows current cycle start and end dates
• Bundle breakdown: See which bundles are active and their renewal dates

Automatic Warnings

Receive proactive notifications about your SMS usage:

• 80% threshold: “Approaching your limit” warning
• 90% threshold: “Running low” critical warning
• 100% threshold: “Limit reached” - SMS sending paused

SMS Bundles

Available Bundles

Choose from various bundle sizes billed monthly:

• Flexible sizing: From 100 to 10,000+ SMS per bundle
• Transparent pricing: Clear monthly cost per bundle
• Multiple bundles: Subscribe to multiple bundles simultaneously

Bundle Billing

• Monthly billing cycle: Billed on the same date each month
• Independent of main plan: Operates separately from your subscription billing
• Pro-rated first month: If subscribing mid-month, first charge is pro-rated
• Annual plan alignment: For businesses on annual plans, SMS bundles bill monthly

Managing Bundles

Adding SMS Bundles

1. Go to Billing and click the SMS tab
2. Click “Manage SMS Bundles”
3. Select bundle size and click “Add Bundle”
4. Complete payment to activate immediately

Cancelling Bundles

1. Go to Billing and click the SMS tab
2. Find the bundle in Active SMS Bundles
3. Cancel subscription (continues until end of current billing period)
4. No further charges after cancellation

Bundle Behavior

• Immediate activation: Extra SMS available right after subscription
• Monthly renewal: Automatically renews each month
• Quota stacking: Multiple bundles combine for total quota
• Usage sharing: All bundles contribute to the same total quota pool

Billing Period Management

When Quota Resets

• Monthly plans: Resets on your main subscription billing date
• Annual plans: SMS bundles reset monthly on bundle subscription dates
• Combined usage: All SMS (from plan + bundles) count toward the same total

Billing Timeline Examples

Monthly Subscription Plan

Billing Date: 1st of each month
SMS Reset: 1st of each month
Bundle Billing: 1st of each month (pro-rated if mid-month start)

Annual Subscription Plan

Main Plan: Billed annually on June 15th
SMS from Plan: Resets June 15th annually
SMS Bundles: Reset monthly on bundle start date

Usage Limits and Service Interruption

Reaching Your Limit

When you hit 100% of your SMS quota:

• SMS sending pauses: No more SMS notifications sent
• Other features continue: Email notifications and all other features work normally
• Clear warning: Prominent alert in the SMS Usage dashboard
• Immediate resolution: Add a bundle to resume SMS sending instantly

Monitoring Usage

• Dashboard alerts: Visual indicators when approaching limits
• Email notifications: Automatic warnings at 80% and 90% usage
• Usage history: Track usage patterns over time

Cost Management

Understanding Costs

• Base SMS: Included in your subscription (no extra cost)
• Bundles: Additional monthly fee per bundle
• Transparent pricing: Clear costs shown before purchase
• No hidden fees: Only the advertised bundle price

Scaling Strategy

• Monitor usage patterns: Review monthly usage to optimize bundle sizes
• Start small: Add bundles as needed rather than over-purchasing
• Cancel unused capacity: Remove bundles during slow periods
• Seasonal planning: Add capacity for busy periods, reduce during slow times

Troubleshooting

Quota Not Updating After Bundle Purchase

If your quota doesn’t increase immediately:

• Wait a few minutes for the system to update
• Refresh the page to see the latest quota
• Check the SMS tab in Billing to confirm the bundle is active
• Contact support if the bundle doesn’t appear after 10 minutes

Unexpected Billing

If you see unexpected charges:

• Check active bundles in the SMS tab
• Review billing history for bundle subscriptions
• Verify cancellation - bundles may still be active
• Contact billing support for discrepancies

Usage Not Resetting

If your usage doesn’t reset at the expected time:

• Check billing cycle dates in the SMS tab
• Verify subscription type (monthly vs annual)
• Wait 24 hours - resets happen at the exact billing time
• Contact support if usage doesn’t reset after the billing date

Best Practices

Capacity Planning

• Monitor usage weekly during peak periods
• Set up alerts for approaching limits
• Plan for seasonal changes in messaging volume
• Keep buffer capacity to handle unexpected spikes

Cost Optimization

• Right-size bundles based on actual usage
• Cancel unused bundles to reduce costs
• Bundle stacking for businesses needing large capacity
• Monthly review of usage patterns

Operational Efficiency

• Enable SMS notifications strategically (they count toward quota)
• Monitor delivery to ensure messages are reaching customers
• Plan for high-volume periods with extra capacity
• Use email as backup when SMS quota is limited

Emergency Preparedness

• Keep emergency capacity for critical communications
• Monitor usage alerts to avoid service interruption
• Have bundle purchase ready for immediate capacity increases
• Know your limits and have response plans

Remember: SMS bundles provide flexible, on-demand capacity that scales with your business. Monitor usage regularly, plan for growth, and use bundles strategically to maintain reliable customer communications while controlling costs!