Billing Overview
Last updated: 2025-10-13 11:05:17
SMS Length Calculation Rule
S
MS
Length = number of characters in the signature + number of characters in the body. A single SMS message can contain up to 2000 characters.Note：
Signature is optional for global SMS.
Long text messages are split into multiple messages for billing purposes. When creating a text message template in the console, you can preview the billable word count and the estimated number of messages to be sent. The carrier prefix, signature, and variable length will affect the total word count during actual sending. The specific billing number will depend on the actual sending tests.
SMS containing English characters only
Character Count Rules: A standard GSM character is calculated as 1 character, while an extended GSM character is calculated as 2 characters.
Category | Character List |
Standard characters | ! " # $ % ' ( ) * + , - . / : ; < = > ? @ _ ¡ £ ¥ § ¿ & ¤0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Za b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y zÄ Å Æ Ç É Ñ Ø ø Ü ß Ö à ä å æ è é ì ñ ò ö ù ü Δ Φ Γ Λ Ω Π Ψ Σ Θ Ξ |
Extended characters | | ^ € { } [ ] ~ \\ |
SMS Splitting Rules: If an SMS message contains 160 characters or fewer, it will be billed as one message; otherwise, it will be billed as multiple messages based on the standard of 153 characters per message. For example, a 453-character message will be billed as three messages at a rate of 153 characters/ 153 characters/ 147 characters.
Note：
Since the local operator will automatically add a prefix when sending text messages, the final billing word count of text messages sent to Malaysia will be 7 words more than the original text. For pure English text messages sent to Malaysia: Text messages up to 153 characters are billed as a single message. Text messages exceeding 153 characters are considered long messages and are billed as multiple messages separated by the formula 146 characters/153 characters/153 characters/153 characters/... For example, a pure English text message sent to Malaysia with 453 characters would be billed as four messages separated by the formula 146 characters/153 characters/153 characters/1 character.
SMS containing non-English characters
Character Count Rules: Basic multilingual planar characters are counted as 1 character each, while auxiliary planar characters are counted as 2 characters or more. When creating an SMS template in the console, you can preview the billing character count of the SMS content.
Category | Character List |
Basic multilingual planar characters | The Unicode range from U+0000 to U+FFFF includes most commonly used languages and characters, such as common Chinese characters, letters, numbers, punctuation marks (not differentiated between full-width/half-width), spaces, and some emoji expressions, etc. |
Auxiliary planar characters | The Unicode range from U+10000 to U+10FFFF includes other emoji expressions (such as 🙇), rare Chinese characters, special symbols, etc. |
SMS Splitting Rules: SMS messages up to 70 characters are billed as a single message. If the message exceeds 70 characters, it is considered a long message and is split into multiple messages at a rate of 67 characters per message. For example, a 195-character message will be billed as three messages at a rate of 67 characters/67 characters/61 characters.
Note：
Since the local operator will automatically add a prefix when sending text messages, the final billing word count of text messages sent to Malaysia will be 7 words more than the original text. For non-English text messages sent to Malaysia: Text messages up to 63 characters are billed as a single message. Text messages exceeding 63 characters are considered long messages and are billed as multiple messages separated by the formula 60 characters/67 characters/67 characters/67 characters/... For example, a non-English text message sent to Malaysia with 195 characters would be billed as four messages separated by the formula 60 characters/67 characters/67 characters/1 character.
Billing Method
Global SMS services adopt a prepaid package model. The use of vouchers is not supported. Purchasing a package is required prior to utilizing Global SMS services. For postpaid daily billing mode activation, please consult your Tencent Cloud account manager.
Note：
Global SMS are charged per message based on content length. Billing occurs when the delivery status shows "Submitted Successfully".
"Submitted Successfully" indicates successful submission to the carrier operator.
"Submitted Successfully, Delivered Successfully" indicates successful submission to the carrier and successful delivery to the recipient. Status can be verified in the SMS Console.
Clients who activated SMS services before August 25, 2025 default to postpaid daily billing. Should billing policies be updated, Tencent Cloud will provide advance notice via Station Mail, email, and other official channels.
Prepaid Package
Global SMS packages support verification codes, notifications, and marketing messages. Individual users can only use for verification codes and notifications, not for marketing messages.
Packages take effect 5 minutes after purchase and remain valid until fully consumed. The available balance is shared by all Global SMS applications under your account.
When an SMS is successfully submitted, the system deducts the cost from your package balance in real time according to the Country/Region Unit Price Details Table. Deductions may be slightly delayed; refer to the billing details for the final amount.
If multiple packages exist under one account, the system deducts from the earliest-activated package first.
All packages follow the same deduction rules—only the total prepaid amount differs. Before purchasing, please confirm the package matches your current data center location. Choose based on your needs:
Fixed Packages: $100, $500, $1,000, $5,000, $10,000
Custom Packages: Not less than $10
Note：
Due to tax regulations, SMS messages sent to Singapore will be charged via postpaid daily billing. To send SMS to Singapore, you must maintain a prepaid package balance > $0 while ensuring your Tencent Cloud account has sufficient funds.
For bulk SMS sending, if your prepaid package balance is insufficient to cover the current batch, the system will automatically switch to postpaid daily billing for the excess quantity.
Prepaid Package Balance Requirements：
Without postpaid billing enabled: You must maintain a prepaid balance > $0 to send Global SMS messages.
With postpaid billing enabled: The system prioritizes deducting from your prepaid package first, and any excess usage will be charged via postpaid daily billing.
The Tencent Cloud account must not be delinquent: If your Tencent Cloud account is delinquent, Global SMS services will be suspended, regardless of your prepaid package balance.
Billing Statements
Before the 3rd day of each month, Tencent Cloud will provide you with a detailed global SMS bill for last month. For details, please refer to the Bill Management documentation.
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