Understanding Your Text Message Credits

A Quick Reference Guide for Business Clients

1 How Text Credits Work

Every SMS text message uses a standard encoding called GSM-7. With standard text (letters, numbers, and common punctuation), you get 160 characters per message segment, and each segment costs 1 credit.

Standard SMS (GSM-7) 160 characters = 1 credit
160 CHARACTERS
! The Emoji Effect

When any emoji is added to a message, the entire message switches to UCS-2 encoding. This reduces your character limit from 160 down to just 70 characters per segment — less than half.

Standard SMS — No Emojis (GSM-7) 160 chars
160 CHARACTERS
With Emojis (UCS-2) 70 chars
70 CHARS
▼ 56% reduction in available characters per segment

Each emoji uses 2–7 characters within that reduced 70-character space. Compound emojis (skin tones, flags, family icons) use the most.

2 Credit Usage at a Glance
Message Type Encoding Chars / Segment Credits
Text only, up to 160 chars GSM-7 160 1
Text only, 161–306 chars GSM-7 153* 2
Text only, 307–459 chars GSM-7 153* 3
With emoji, up to 70 chars UCS-2 70 1
With emoji, 71–134 chars UCS-2 67* 2
With emoji, 135–201 chars UCS-2 67* 3
* Multi-segment messages reserve 7 chars (GSM-7) or 3 chars (UCS-2) per segment for concatenation headers.
3 Real-World Example

The same promotional message — with and without emojis:

With Emojis
"🔥 Flash Friday! Show this text for 20% off any large pizza today only. See you soon! 🍕"
~87 chars · UCS-2 · 2 segments
2 credits per recipient
Without Emojis
"Flash Friday! Show this text for 20% off any large pizza today only. See you soon!"
~83 chars · GSM-7 · 1 segment
1 credit per recipient
Adding just 2 emojis DOUBLED the cost of this message
4 Quick Tips to Maximize Your Credits
  • Keep messages concise and under 160 characters when possible
  • Emojis are great for engagement — but use them strategically, knowing they reduce your character limit
  • One well-crafted, concise message beats a long one every time
  • We optimize every message we send on your behalf to get the most value from your credits
5 How Credits Scale With Your List

Credits used per single message sent to your entire subscriber list:

Subscribers 1 Credit/Msg 2 Credits/Msg 3 Credits/Msg
100 100 credits 200 credits 300 credits
250 250 credits 500 credits 750 credits
500 500 credits 1,000 credits 1,500 credits
1,000 1,000 credits 2,000 credits 3,000 credits
Per single message broadcast to your entire list

Questions about your credits? We're here to help. Reach out anytime — we'll make sure you're getting the most from every message.

Elevate Local

Here's how your free trial works

Your trial doesn’t start until we’ve finished setting everything up: your toll-free number registration, your texting and loyalty card accounts, and your members portal. This typically takes 5–10 business days.

After your 30 days, you’ll move to a simple month-to-month plan. Not the right fit? Just let us know before your trial ends and you won’t be charged a thing.