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Estimating Your SMS Message Credit Needs

This article will help you estimate the number of message credits you'll need to purchase for your account.

Christina Kokkinou avatar
Written by Christina Kokkinou
Updated today

If you're using Waitwhile to keep customers informed while they wait in line or remind them of an upcoming appointment, you’ll likely want to send SMS notifications to give updates such as estimated wait times, when it's their turn, or follow-up messages. To ensure your messages are sent without interruption, it's important to estimate how many message credits you'll need.

Step-by-Step: Estimating Message Credits

Here’s how you can calculate that estimate:

1. Estimate Your Number of Visitors

Start with the number of people you expect to register over a certain time period (monthly, quarterly, or annually). For example:

  • 500 customers per week

  • That’s ~2,000 customers per month

2. Multiply by Average Messages Per Customer

On average, businesses send 3 messages per customer:

  • Confirmation message when they join the line

  • Update during the wait (e.g. “You’re almost up!”)

  • Notification when it’s their turn

So, multiply your estimated number of customers by 3:

  • 2,000 customers × 3 messages = 6,000 messages per month

Note: If you use Automations or send surveys/follow-ups, your average per customer may be higher.

3. Factor in Message Segments

Each SMS is made up of message segments, which are typically 160 characters per segment. Longer messages will use multiple segments, which count as multiple message credits.

  • A 250-character message = 2 segments = 2 message credits

  • Emojis or special characters can reduce allowed segment size to 70 characters

You can check the segment count for your messages in your Waitwhile message editor.

4. Multiply by the Cost per Message Credit

Once you know how many message credits you need, multiply that by the cost per SMS segment. SMS costs may vary by country, but here’s an example:

  • 9,000 message credits needed

  • Cost per credit: $0.02

  • Estimated SMS cost = 9,000 × $0.02 = $180

See How much do SMS cost, to view pricing in your country.

Quick Formula

Estimated Visitors × Avg. Messages per Visitor × Avg. Segments per Message × Cost per Message = Estimated SMS Cost

Message Credit Examples:

  • Scenario A: 1,000 Visits per Month

    • Estimated Visitors: 1,000

    • Avg. SMS per visit: 2 (e.g., confirmation + reminder)

    • Avg. Segments: 1 per message

    • Cost per segment (U.S.): ~$0.0079/message segment

    • Formula: 1,000 x 2 x 1 x $0.0079 = $15.80

    Monthly Message Credit: $16

    Auto-refill recommendation: Set refill amount to $16, trigger at $5 remaining.

  • Scenario B: 10,000 Visits per Quarter

    • Estimated Visitors: 10,000

    • Avg. SMS per visit: 3 (e.g., confirmation, alert, completed)

    • Avg. Segments: 2 per message

    • Cost per segment (U.S.): ~$0.0079/message segment

    • Formula: 10,000 x 2 x 2 x $0.0079 = $474

    Quarterly Message Credit: $474

    Auto-refill recommendation: Set refill amount to $475, trigger at $5.

  • Scenario C: 500 Visits per Month

    • Estimated Visitors: 500

    • Avg. SMS per visit: 3 (e.g., confirmation, alert, completed)

    • Avg. Segments: 1 per message

    • Cost per segment (Europe): $0.05/message segment (take an average across multiple countries)

    • Formula: 500 x 3 x 1 x $0.05 = $75

    Quarterly Message Credit: $75

    Auto-refill recommendation: Set refill amount to $75, trigger at $5.


Have additional questions or need assistance? Reach out to us via chat or at support@waitwhile.com.

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