What are SMS Credits?
SMS credits are what we provide to our customers each month for the sole purpose of paying for the messages that you are using to communicate with your guests. Each SMS that is sent or received from your account is deducted against your SMS Credit.
Note: The price per message can vary depending on geographic location, international messaging, etc).
Each Waitwhile plan includes an allotted SMS credit that is automatically renewed each month in your account - see SMS credit by plan table. The SMS Credit is not carried over between months but simply filled up to the credit limit according to your plan type.
You’re only charged for subsequent SMS credits when you exceed your first SMS credit in any given month.
How do I know if I am running out of SMS Credits?
You can see your current SMS credits in the Billing Settings under Settings > Billing.
When your account has used up 90% of its SMS allocation in a given month, the Admin User of your account will receive an email informing you that your "SMS Credit" is running low.
When your account reaches 100% of its SMS Credit in a given month the Admin User of your account will receive an email informing you that your SMS Credit has run out and instructions for how to refill it. At this time, no further SMS texts will get sent to your guests.
How can I buy more SMS Credits?
If you have enabled Auto Refill enabled under Settings > Billing your account will automatically be replenished with new SMS credits so that your communications always remain uninterrupted.
If auto-refill is disabled, you’ll need to manually purchase additional SMS Credit under Settings > Billing.
There is no limit on how many SMS Credits can be added in any given month, but if you find yourself regularly exceeding your monthly SMS Credit, you may want to consider upgrading to the next Waitwhile Plan.
NOTE: the unused SMS credit you add to your account carries over to the next month.
SMS Credit by Plan Type
Chart below shows what the SMS Credit is per month for each plan type:
Plan type | Monthly subscription fee* (annual/monthly) | SMS credit value | Estimated # of SMS included** (per US pricing) |
Starter with 500 visits/mo | $23 / $29 | $15/mo | 1,500 |
Starter with 1,000 visits/mo | $46 / $58 | $30/mo | 3,000 |
Starter with 1,500 visits/mo | $69 / $87 | $45/mo | 4,500 |
Starter with 2,000 visits/mo | $92 / $116 | $60/mo | 6,000 |
Starter with 2,500 visits/mo | $115 / $145 | $75/mo | 7,500 |
Starter with 3,000 visits/mo | $138 / $174 | $90/mo | 9,000 |
Business with 4 locations | $156 / $196 | $100/mo | 12,500 |
Business with 5 locations | $195 / $245 | $125/mo | 15,600 |
Business with 6 locations | $234 / $294 | $150/mo | 18,700 |
Business with 7 locations | $273 / $343 | $175/mo | 21,800 |
Business with 8 locations | $312 / $392 | $200/mo | 24,900 |
Business with 9 locations | $351 / $441 | $225/mo | 28,000 |
Business with 10 locations | $390 / $490 | $250/mo | 31,100 |
* Includes one SMS credit in any given month
** As of July 2022. For latest SMS pricing in your country, see the Twilio SMS pricing website
Let's take an Example
If a customer is on an annual Business plan with 5 locations, the SMS credit included in their $195 monthly subscription will be $125/mo, which is the equivalent of sending about 15,600 SMS in the US. If the monthly SMS Credit is depleted, the fee to add more SMS Credit would be an additional $125. (NOTE: The SMS Credit does carry over each month).