How to Buy SMS Credits
YCBM offers two flexible SMS options: Basic SMS and Enhanced SMS. These options are designed to support both those new to SMS and users looking to optimize their texting processes.
SMS credits can be purchased by both Free and paid accounts as they are not included in the subscription cost.
This feature is available on all our plans, including the Free one.
In this article:
- How to buy SMS credits
- Enhanced SMS
- Sharing SMS credits with your team
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How to buy SMS credits
SMS credits are not included in the subscription cost. They can be purchased on the My Account page by clicking "SMS." From the dropdown list, select how many SMS you'd like to purchase - the minimum is 20, the maximum is 10,000. Purchasing 200 credits or more will qualify for a volume discount.
1 SMS credit is $0.07 (US) / €0.05 (EUR) / £0.05 (GBP), and can send up to 160 characters.
Once you've decided how many credits to purchase, click "Purchase credits" to be redirected to the Stripe Customer Portal where you will enter your payment details.
An email alert will be sent to your YCBM account email when the total number of SMS credits falls below certain thresholds (100, 50, 10) to allow you time to log in and purchase more SMS credits.
Enhanced SMS
Looking to take your text notifications to the next level? Enhanced SMS is here to help! With your own dedicated phone number, you can send confirmations, reminders, and follow-ups—so your customers always know it’s you reaching out. This feature is powered by our friends at Capacity SMS, who handle millions of business texts every month. They’ll take care of all the setup and make sure your number is fully compliant with local and national regulations, so you don’t have to worry about a thing.
How does it work?
Getting started with Enhanced SMS is easy! You can apply right from your YouCanBookMe account if you’re on a Teams or Professional plan.
Here’s what to expect:
- Pick your number: Choose a toll-free or local number, or even use your existing business number.
- Share a few details: Capacity SMS will handle all the compliance paperwork for you.
- Select your SMS bundle: Pick the monthly package that matches your needs.
- Enable SMS notifications: Just turn on SMS notifications in your booking settings and make sure your booking form collects your customer’s mobile numbers.
And that’s it! Once your number is set up, all your SMS notifications will come from your dedicated line. Your customers can save your number and always know when a message is from you.
The more you text, the more you save! On the Basic SMS plan, each message costs 7¢.
With Enhanced SMS:
- Send 500 texts per month, and it’s just 3.4¢ per message.
- Send 1,000 texts per month, and it drops to only 2.7¢ per message.
If you’re sending lots of SMS—whether for reminders, confirmations, reschedules, cancellations, no-shows, or follow-ups—Enhanced SMS can help you save as your business grows.
Where is it available?
Enhanced SMS is currently available for businesses in the US and Canada. If you’re outside these countries and interested, just reach out—we’d love to chat about your options!
And here’s some exciting news for international businesses—WhatsApp messaging is coming soon, making Enhanced SMS available worldwide. 🎉
Enhanced SMS is a great fit if:
- You want your own dedicated business number.
- You send a high volume of texts.
- Your customers are mainly in the US or Canada.
- You’re on a Teams or Professional YCBM plan.
Click here for a quick overview: YouCanBookMe’s Basic SMS vs. Enhanced SMS
Sharing SMS credits with your team
The Account Owner purchases SMS credits for the entire team. SMS credits are shared among all booking pages that have SMS notifications enabled.
To confirm if a team member is using SMS notifications, edit the booking page and go to Notifications. Click the dropdown arrow to see if there is an SMS notification configured on the page.
If you do not want to send SMS notifications, click the trash can icon to delete the notification.
If you have a legacy account with sub-accounts, the Account Owner must purchase SMS credits for the sub-accounts. Please contact Support for assistance with sharing SMS credits with your sub-accounts.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- How do I set up SMS notifications?
- Check out our Using SMS for Notifications article
- How many SMS credits is one message?
A message of 160 characters uses 1 SMS credit. Latin characters fit into one byte, while international symbols may require two or more. Emojis count as multiple "characters." If your message uses 2 credits, try shortening it with shorthand codes.
For further questions, contact our team at support@youcanbook.me.
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