Billing & Credits Updated Mar 2026
Credit Usage & Tracking
Monitor your credit consumption and understand how credits are deducted.
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How Credits Work
One credit = one SMS segment (up to 160 characters). Messages longer than 160 characters consume multiple credits.
Credit Deduction Rules
- 1 credit per SMS segment (160 chars for GSM-7, 70 chars for Unicode/Swahili)
- Credits are deducted at send time, not delivery time
- Failed messages do NOT consume credits (refunded automatically)
- Scheduled campaigns reserve credits when scheduled, deduct when sent
Character Encoding
- GSM-7: Standard Latin characters — 160 chars per segment
- Unicode: Required for special characters and some Swahili accents — 70 chars per segment
Monitoring Your Balance
- Dashboard: Credits displayed in the main dashboard header
- Billing Page: Detailed transaction history and usage charts
- API: GET /api/v1/balance returns your current balance
- Webhooks: Configure a credits.low webhook for automatic alerts
Low Balance Alerts: Set up email notifications in Settings > Email Preferences to receive alerts when your balance drops below a threshold.
Related in Billing & Credits
Pricing & Credit Packages
Transparent pricing per SMS. No hidden fees, no expiration.
How to Top Up Credits
All payment methods for purchasing SMS credits in Tanzania.
Payment Methods: Step-by-Step Guide
Detailed M-Pesa, Tigo Pesa, CRDB, and Selcom payment instructions with merchant numbers.
I Paid But My Credits / Balance Haven't Updated
What to do when a top-up or payment doesn't show up on your account yet.