SMS text message credits
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Every SMS you send through SortScape uses text message credits from your monthly allowance. This includes invoice text messages, even when the invoice itself is created in Xero. Think of a credit like a stamp — most messages need just one stamp, but a longer message or one with emojis can need two or more.
The good news: you never have to work this out yourself. Whenever you write or edit a text message in SortScape, the app tells you exactly how many credits that message will use before you send it.
The simple version
Section titled “The simple version”Most short text messages use 1 credit.
The default reminder templates in SortScape are short, plain messages. They almost always use just 1 credit each — which is why most businesses never have to think about this.
A message only uses more than 1 credit when:
- It is longer than a normal text message, or
- It contains emojis or certain special characters
How long is a “normal” text message?
Section titled “How long is a “normal” text message?”For a standard text message (letters, numbers, and everyday punctuation), you can fit roughly 160 characters in one credit. That is about 2–3 short sentences — plenty for a visit reminder like:
Hi John, this is a reminder that we’ll be at your property tomorrow between 8am and 12pm. Reply STOP to opt out.
If your message is longer than that, it gets split into parts and each part uses 1 credit. For example, a message that is roughly 200 characters long would use 2 credits.
You do not need to count characters yourself — SortScape shows the credit count as you type.
Emojis and special characters
Section titled “Emojis and special characters”Emojis use more credits
Section titled “Emojis use more credits”Emojis (like 👍 🌿 ✅) take up more space in a text message than regular letters. If you add even one emoji, your whole message is treated differently — you can only fit about 70 characters per credit instead of 160.
What this means in practice:
- A short message with an emoji at the end (under 70 characters) still uses 1 credit — you are fine.
- A longer message with emojis can quickly jump to 2 credits even if it does not look that long on screen.
If you are trying to keep costs down, skip emojis in your templates and bulk messages. A plain text reminder works just as well.
Some symbols count as extra
Section titled “Some symbols count as extra”A few less common characters — like the euro symbol (€) or curly brackets — also take up extra space in a message. This rarely comes up for lawn care reminders, but SortScape accounts for it in the credit count it shows you.
Copy-pasting from Word or email
Section titled “Copy-pasting from Word or email”If you copy text from Word, an email, or a website, it sometimes brings along “fancy” punctuation — curly quote marks, long dashes, or odd spaces. SortScape tidies most of these up automatically when the message is sent, so a pasted message does not accidentally cost more than it should.
Xero invoice text messages
Section titled “Xero invoice text messages”Invoice texts sent when you tick Send invoice text message on a Xero invoice use your credits like any other SMS. Most use 1 credit. See Invoicing customers for when you can send invoices and how Xero fits in.
Credits included with your plan
Section titled “Credits included with your plan”How many text message credits you get each month depends on your plan and how many users you have.
Basic plan | Premium plan | |
1 user | 10 SMS credits | 50 SMS credits |
2 users | 25 SMS credits | 100 SMS credits |
5 users | 50 SMS credits | 150 SMS credits |
10 users | 100 SMS credits | 200 SMS credits |
15 users | 150 SMS credits | 250 SMS credits |
20 users | 200 SMS credits | 300 SMS credits |
Your credits reset at the start of each month.
Need more? See Adding more credits below. Extra credits come in bundles of 100 per month. For pricing and how add-ons work on monthly vs annual plans, see Billing plans, changes, and cancellation.
Adding more credits
Section titled “Adding more credits”You can only buy more text message credits from the billing screen, and that screen is only available in a web browser. It is not in the SortScape mobile app (iOS or Android). Other admin settings, including checking sent messages and credit usage, are available in the mobile app. See Checking how many credits you have left below.
If you use SortScape on your phone, open a browser (Safari, Chrome, or similar), go to app.sortscape.com, and log in with your SortScape email and password. Being logged into the mobile app does not sign you into the browser.
Once you are logged in on the web:
- Open Admin → Billing (or go straight to the billing screen)
- Click Add text messages
- Choose the bundle you want
You need an active paid plan to buy add-ons. Free trial accounts must choose a plan first.
Checking how many credits you have left
Section titled “Checking how many credits you have left”Open Admin → Customer messaging → Sent messages (or go straight to Sent messages).
- On the web: Click the Settings icon (gear, top right), open Customer messaging, then choose Sent messages.
- In the mobile app (iOS or Android): Tap Settings in the bottom menu (administrators only), then Customer messaging → Sent messages.
At the top of the page you will see how many credits you have used this month and how many you have left. Tap or click View history to see each message and how many credits it used.
To buy more credits, use the Add credits button on that page. That button only appears in a web browser. If you are on the mobile app, open app.sortscape.com in Safari, Chrome, or another browser and log in. Being logged into the mobile app does not sign you into the browser. See Adding more credits above.
What happens when you run out
Section titled “What happens when you run out”Once you have used all your credits for the month, you cannot send any more text messages until you add more.
If you have automatic appointment reminders set up, SortScape will hold off sending them until you have credits again. You will also get an email letting you know a text could not be sent because your credits ran out.
Messages that are free (no credits used)
Section titled “Messages that are free (no credits used)”A few automatic messages do not count against your monthly allowance:
- The confirmation sent when a customer replies STOP to opt out — see SMS opt-out and resubscribe
- The confirmation sent when a customer replies START to opt back in
- Follow-up texts from the AI receptionist (if you have that enabled)
These still show up in your sent message history, but they do not eat into your credits.
Quick tips
Section titled “Quick tips”- Stick with the default templates — they are already short and use 1 credit each.
- Skip emojis in reminders unless you really want them — they can double your credit usage on longer messages.
- Check the credit count shown in SortScape before sending — especially if you have edited a template or written a longer message.
- Keep it short and simple — your customers just need to know you are coming; they do not need a long message.
For help when texts are not arriving, see Why aren’t my customers receiving SMS reminders?. For using your own phone number as the sender, see Can I send text messages from my own number?.