Pay-as-you-go (PAYG) lets you send messages using a rate card across multiple messaging channels, including SMS and WhatsApp. You're charged on your regular monthly invoice for what you send, and you can manage your spending using spend limits and email alerts.
Before you start
Things you need to know:
To use pay-as-you-go for SMS, you must first purchase an SMS number. Learn more in Purchase an SMS number.
If you're already using SMS with credits, you must contact us to swap from credits to pay-as-you-go.
Pay-as-you-go isn't channel-specific. It works for SMS, WhatsApp, and other supported messaging channels.
Use the rate card
Pay-as-you-go prices are listed on channel-specific rate cards.
To view your SMS rate card, expand the User menu and go to Settings > SMS > SMS settings, then select the Rate card tab.
To view your WhatsApp rate card, expand the User menu and go to Settings > WhatsApp > Rate card.
Rate card prices may change monthly. Review them regularly to stay informed about the cost of sending to your chosen countries.
Set a spend limit alert
When you set up pay-as-you-go, an automatic monthly spend limit is applied to your account. This limit is deliberately set high to prevent SMS sends from stopping unexpectedly if the limit is reached.
To stay in control of your spend, set an email alert that triggers when your spend reaches a chosen amount.
To do this:
Expand the User menu and go to Settings > General > Account settings.
Select the Enable SMS pay-as-you-go alerts checkbox.
Enter an alert amount in the box.
Select SAVE SETTINGS.
Alerts are sent to the account owner and to users with the Can manage account permission.
View your pay-as-you-go usage
After you start sending messages using pay-as-you-go, you can review which countries you've sent to and the price of each send.
Expand the User menu, then go to Settings > General > Usage.