SMS Usage and Billing
Understand how SMS messages are billed.
SMS Costs
Per-Message Rates
US/Canada: $0.0075 per message
Segments: Each 160 characters = 1 message
Long Messages: Automatically split into segments
Example:
150 character message = 1 segment = $0.0075
320 character message = 2 segments = $0.015
International Rates
Varies by country:
UK: $0.04 per message
Mexico: $0.02 per message
Australia: $0.06 per message
See full pricing: Twilio SMS Pricing
What Triggers SMS?
Automatic Messages
Order Ready (30 min before pickup): 1 SMS
Delivery En Route: 1 SMS
Failed Payment: 1 SMS
Subscription Confirmed: 1 SMS
Optional Messages
You can enable/disable:
Weekly Menu Updates: 1 SMS per week per customer
Promotional Messages: As needed
Reminder Messages: 1 day before pickup/delivery
Controlling SMS Costs
Best Practices
Use Email First: Cheaper for non-urgent messages
Combine Messages: One message with multiple updates
Optimize Length: Keep under 160 characters
Disable Optional: Turn off non-critical SMS
Customer SMS Preferences
Customers can opt out:
Reply STOP to any message
Update preferences in account settings
Choose email-only notifications
Viewing SMS Usage
Monthly Report
Go to Billing Dashboard
Click SMS Usage
See monthly breakdown:
Total messages sent
Cost per message
Total SMS cost
By customer breakdown
Real-Time Tracking
Monitor current month usage:
Messages Sent: Running total
Estimated Cost: Based on current usage
Projected Monthly: If usage continues at current rate
Billing Schedule
How You're Charged
Monthly Bill: First day of each month
Via Stripe: Charged to your connected account
Itemized: Detailed breakdown in invoice
Payment Method
SMS charges deducted from your payouts:
Preppable collects platform fee + SMS costs
Net amount sent to your bank account
SMS Delivery Failures
Failed Messages
Not charged for:
Invalid phone numbers
Blocked numbers
Carrier errors
Retry Logic
Failed messages:
Retry once after 5 minutes
If still fails, marked as undeliverable
Customer notified via email instead