Why does my message cost more than one credit?

The cost of a single SMS message can sometimes exceed one credit due to three main factors:

• Message Length (Segmentation): Standard messages are limited to 160 characters. Messages that exceed this limit are automatically split into multiple segments, and you are charged for each segment sent.
• Character Encoding (Unicode): Using non-standard characters (such as emojis or special symbols) converts the message to Unicode, drastically reducing the maximum segment size from 160 to just 70 characters, potentially increasing the number of segments required immediately.
• International Rates: Sending messages to certain countries costs more than domestic messages due to variable pricing among cellular providers.

For a detailed explanation of credit calculation, including international pricing multipliers and how variable fields can affect the final message length, read our article on SMS Credits Overview.

Learn More

See the following articles to learn more:

• Special Characters and SMS Character Counting
• SMS Credits Overview
• Send an SMS