SMS Credits¶
SMS credits are the currency for sending SMS messages on NotifyBulk. Every SMS segment you send consumes one credit.
What is a segment?¶
A single SMS is split into segments based on length and character set:
| Message type | Characters per segment |
|---|---|
| Standard (GSM-7 charset) | 160 characters |
| Long standard (multi-part) | 153 characters per part |
| Unicode (emoji, accented chars, Arabic, Chinese…) | 70 characters |
| Long Unicode (multi-part) | 67 characters per part |
Example: A message with 200 standard characters = 2 segments = 2 credits consumed.
Tip
The SMS composer in the Inbox and the Campaign editor both show a live character and segment counter as you type.
Credit balance¶
Your current balance is always visible in Settings → Billing. The progress bar shows:
- Credits used — consumed in the current period
- Credits remaining — available to send
- Total — what your plan includes
What consumes credits¶
| Action | Credits used |
|---|---|
| Outbound SMS (Inbox) | 1 per segment |
| SMS Campaign message | 1 per segment × recipients |
| Advanced Campaign SMS step | 1 per segment |
| Survey question sent via SMS | 1 per segment |
Inbound messages (replies from customers) do not consume credits.
Running out of credits¶
If your balance reaches zero, outbound SMS sending is blocked and returns an "Insufficient credits" error.
To resume sending, you must either: - Wait for your plan to renew (credits reset at the start of each period) - Upgrade to a larger plan in Settings → Billing
Overage¶
Depending on your plan, overage may be available — this allows sending beyond your included credits up to a threshold, billed as a top-up at the end of the period. Check your plan details in Settings → Billing to see if overage is enabled.
Credits do not roll over¶
Unused credits at the end of a billing period are not carried over to the next period. Your balance resets to the full plan amount on each renewal.