SMS credits allow you to manage and track how your business sends SMS reminders and notifications to customers. Every Pro plan includes SMS credits based on how many team members are on your account, pooled together for your whole team to draw from. No need to manage credits per team member individually.
You can view your SMS usage in the mobile app under Settings > Billing > SMS Credits, no matter where your subscription was purchased.
This article explains how credits work, how usage is calculated, and how to make sure you never run short.
SMS credits by device
Your monthly SMS credits depend on whether you signed up for Setmore on the web app or on iOS/Android.
Web plan
If you signed up for Setmore on the web and have a Pro plan, you receive 500 SMS credits per team member each month.
Mobile plan
Signed up for Setmore on iOS or Android? Your monthly SMS credits are based on the number of team members on your plan:
Team members | Monthly SMS credits |
1 | 500 |
2–4 | Up to 2,000 |
5–6 | Up to 3,000 |
7–10 | Up to 5,000 |
Your credits reset at the start of each billing cycle, and unused credits don't roll over to the next month.
When you send an SMS reminder, credits are deducted based on the recipient's country. See the rates below for details.
Free Pro trial
On a free Pro trial, you'll receive SMS credits upfront based on your team size and whether you use Setmore on the web or mobile. Mobile trial credits follow the same team-size bands shown in the table above.
You can use these credits throughout your trial, but you can't purchase additional credits while on a trial. Any unused trial credits are removed when your trial ends.
When you upgrade to a Pro plan, you'll receive a new allocation of SMS credits based on your paid plan and team size.
Please note: You can only purchase additional credits from the mobile app if your subscription itself is an iOS or Android subscription. If your subscription is web/desktop, you can view usage on mobile but you'll need to purchase credits from the web app.
Running low on credits?
If you're on the Pro plan, or your monthly plan credits won't cover your usage, you can add extra credits two ways:
One-time purchase: Top up as needed, with the option to turn on auto-reload
Monthly bundle: A recurring add-on for expected extra usage each month
Both options are available under Settings > Billing, next to your Plan details. Click Add credits to choose an amount.
Please note: Admins purchasing through the mobile app can only make one-time purchases. Monthly bundles are only available on the web app.
How plan credits and extra credits work together
You'll always have up to two credit options:
Plan credits: Included with your subscription each month. These are always used first.
Extra credits: Anything you've purchased separately via Add Credits. These are only drawn on once your plan credits for the month are fully used.
Credits purchased via a one-time purchase are valid for 6 months from the date of purchase.
Credits purchased as part of a monthly bundle expire at the end of each monthly billing cycle. Any unused credits from the monthly bundle do not roll over into the following month.
If you run out completely
If both your plan credits and any extra credits are empty and auto-reload isn't turned on, SMS reminders will stop sending until you add more credits.
We'll send you an email when you've used 80% of your credits, and another when you hit 100%, so you can top up before reminders are interrupted.
Credit usage per country
SMS credit allocation varies by destination country and channel (SMS vs. WhatsApp):
Country | Credits per SMS |
United States | 1 credit |
Canada | 1 credit |
Australia | 5 credits |
United Kingdom | 5 credits |
Sending SMS to another country? Find out more about international sending. Click dropdown.
Sending SMS to another country? Find out more about international sending. Click dropdown.
Country | Credits per SMS |
Norfolk Island | 5 credits |
Thailand | 5 credits |
Turkey | 5 credits |
Liechtenstein | 5 credits |
Bahrain | 5 credits |
Greenland | 5 credits |
Poland | 5 credits |
Portugal | 5 credits |
Australia | 5 credits |
Greece | 5 credits |
South Korea | 5 credits |
Puerto Rico | 5 credits |
Cyprus | 5 credits |
South Africa | 5 credits |
United Kingdom | 5 credits |
Lithuania | 5 credits |
Macau | 5 credits |
Denmark | 5 credits |
Colombia | 5 credits |
Brazil | 5 credits |
Kenya | 1 credit (via Whatsapp) |
United Arab Emirates | 5 credits (via Whatsapp |
Singapore | 5 credits (via Whatsapp) |
Norway | 10 credits |
Sweden | 10 credits |
Don't see your country listed? View SMS country availability here.
How your template affects your credit usage
SMS messages have a maximum length in Setmore. When creating your SMS template, we'll show you a maximum number of characters to help you stay within that limit and ensure seamless reminders for your customers.
However, if your reminder is longer than that character limit, it gets split into multiple pieces called segments, and each segment is billed separately.
Think of it like postage: one stamp covers a letter up to a certain weight, but a heavier letter needs extra stamps to send. The same message, split into more segments, uses more credits.
How message length affects your credits
How much text fits into one SMS segment depends on what's in your message:
Message type | Characters per segment |
Plain English, no emojis or special characters | 160 |
English with emojis or special characters, or any non-English language | 70 |
Keeping templates in plain English without special characters or emojis helps you get more reminders out of your credits.
Tracking usage
You can keep an eye on your SMS usage from Settings > Notifications > SMS usage. This shows messages sent to your customers and how many credits each one used, for a date range you choose.
Setting up auto-reload
To avoid interruptions, you can set up auto-reload so credits are added automatically once your balance runs low:
Go to Settings > Billing
Click Add credits
Select One-time purchase
Choose your credit amount
Toggle on Auto-reload
With auto-reload on, we'll automatically add credits once your balance drops below 10%, and your payment method on file will be charged automatically.
FAQs
Why do costs vary by country? SMS pricing depends on carrier and network costs in the destination country, which vary. Countries with higher carrier costs use more credits per message.
What happens if I run out of SMS credits mid-month? SMS reminders will stop sending until you add more credits or your plan renews. Add credits any time from Settings > Billing to keep reminders going without a gap.
Do unused credits roll over? It depends on how you purchase your SMS credits.
Credits purchased via a one-time purchase are valid for 6 months from the date of purchase.
Credits purchased as part of a monthly bundle expire at the end of each monthly billing cycle. Any unused credits from the monthly bundle do not roll over into the following month.
Can I change my auto top-up threshold later? Auto-reload currently triggers automatically once your balance drops below 10%.