# SMS rates by country

How text reminders are charged in EasyWebinar: segments, what makes a message cost more, and where to find the rate for each country.

- Applies to: SMS reminders set on a webinar's Notifications tab · charged from your EasyWebinar credits
- Status: Live
- Verified: 2026-10-26
- Canonical page: https://easywebinar.com/product-docs/reference/sms-rates/

**SMS reminders** are charged per **segment**, at the rate for the country of the phone number you send to. A short reminder is one segment; a longer one is split into several, and each is charged. Use this page to work out what a reminder costs before you turn it on.

## At a glance {#at-a-glance}

| | |
|---|---|
| Charged per | Segment of each message |
| Price depends on | The recipient's country, and whether the message is transactional or promotional |
| Standard characters | 160 in one segment, 153 per segment in a longer message |
| Emoji or special characters | 70 in one segment, 67 per segment in a longer message |
| When credits are taken | When each message is sent |
| Sent from | An EasyWebinar number |

## How SMS is charged {#how-its-charged}

```
Credits = segments × country rate × number of messages
```

- **Segments**: how many pieces the message is split into.
- **Country rate**: the credits per segment for the recipient's country (see [Rates by country](#rates-by-country)).
- **Number of messages**: one per registrant for each text that sends. A **Welcome SMS** and two reminders send three texts to every registrant who gave a number.

## What a segment is {#segments}

A segment is one piece of a text message. Your registrant sees one message, but carriers carry and charge it in pieces.

| Your message uses | Fits in one segment | Each segment of a longer message |
|---|---|---|
| **Standard characters**: letters A–Z, numbers, common punctuation | 160 characters | 153 characters |
| **Unicode**: any emoji, letters such as ā or ğ, non-Latin scripts | 70 characters | 67 characters |

A longer message fits fewer characters per segment because each piece carries a little information that tells the phone how to join them back together.

## What makes a message cost more {#cost-drivers}

- **One emoji switches the whole message to Unicode**, so it fits 70 characters instead of 160. A single 😊 can double the cost.
- **Merge fields grow when they're filled in.** `{{webinar_title}}` is short in the template but may be 60 characters once it's your real title.
- **Links count as characters.** A long join link can push a message into a second segment.

## Work out a reminder's cost {#worked-example}

A 200-character reminder in plain English, no emoji:

1. 200 characters is more than 160, so it's split into pieces of 153: **2 segments**.
2. At, for example, 9.60 credits per segment: 2 × 9.60 = **19.20 credits per registrant**.
3. Sent to 100 registrants: **1,920 credits** ($19.20).

Add one emoji and it becomes Unicode: 200 characters in pieces of 67 is **3 segments**. For your own numbers, use **Estimate what you need** under **Settings → Credits & Usage**.

## Transactional and promotional rates {#rate-types}

Some countries charge differently depending on what a text is for:

- **Transactional**: registration confirmations, reminders and alerts.
- **Promotional**: offers, announcements and replay promotions.

Where a country has both, each has its own rate.

## Rates by country {#rates-by-country}

The current rate for each country is in **Settings → Credits & Usage → Credit costs**, under **Rates by country**, listed by region.

## Limits and things to know {#limits}

- **SMS reminders only reach people** who gave a phone number on your [registration form](https://easywebinar.com/product-docs/webinars/registration/custom-fields/#set-up-the-form).
- **They come from an EasyWebinar number**, so replies don't reach your phone.
- **Rates can change.** The rate in effect when a text is sent is the one charged.
- **At 0 credits, SMS reminders pause** until you add credits.
- Some texts never arrive, for example to landlines. See [SMS reminder not delivered](https://easywebinar.com/product-docs/troubleshooting/sms-not-delivered/).

## Common questions {#common-questions}

#### How many characters fit in one text? {#faq-characters}

160 standard characters, or 70 if the message has any emoji or special characters.

#### Why was one text charged as two? {#faq-two-segments}

It was longer than one segment, so it was sent in two pieces and both were charged. Your registrant saw one message.

#### Do emoji cost more? {#faq-emoji}

Yes. One emoji makes the whole message Unicode, which fits fewer characters per segment.

#### Does it matter where my registrants live? {#faq-country}

Yes. The rate is set by the country of the number you send to.

#### How do I keep SMS costs down? {#faq-save}

Keep texts short, skip emoji, test with **Send Test SMS** to see the real length, and send the reminders that matter most rather than every one.

## Related {#related}

- [Credits and rates](https://easywebinar.com/product-docs/reference/credits-and-rates/): how credits work and the order they're spent in.
- [WhatsApp rates by country and category](https://easywebinar.com/product-docs/reference/whatsapp-rates/): per-message pricing by category.
- [SMS reminder not delivered](https://easywebinar.com/product-docs/troubleshooting/sms-not-delivered/): why a text doesn't arrive and what to do.
- [Webinar reminder emails](https://easywebinar.com/product-docs/webinars/notifications/reminder-emails/#sms-whatsapp): where text reminders are set up.