Understanding SMS credits
Every text message Appointible sends — reminders, campaigns, review requests, two-way conversations — draws from the account's SMS credit balance. This article explains where that balance comes from, how it is spent, and what happens when plans change.
Included plan credits
Every Pro plan includes free SMS credit for each team member (seat):
- Monthly billing: $8 of free texting credit per team member, every month.
- Annual billing: $60 of free texting credit per team member, granted upfront for the year.
The free included credit renews with every billing period. When a new period starts, the included amount is refreshed to match the current plan — unused included credit from the previous period does not carry over. A Pro plan with 5 team members on monthly billing therefore starts every month with $40.00 of free included texting credit.
Purchased credits
Purchased credits are separate from the included allowance. They can be bought at any time from the Billing page, they do not expire at renewal, and they are only used after the included plan credit for the period has been spent. See Buying Additional SMS Credits for the step-by-step guide.
Accounts subscribed through the Apple App Store or Google Play receive the same free included plan credits and top up purchased credits from the web Billing page.
How usage draws down the balance
Messages are priced per 160-character text segment, and the price per segment depends on the destination country. The full, always-current price list is on the texting rates page. A longer message spans multiple segments and costs accordingly; the balance shown in Billing combines included plan credits and purchased credits into one available amount.
Auto-recharge
Auto-recharge keeps the balance from running dry: when the available balance drops to a chosen threshold, Appointible automatically purchases a chosen amount of credits using the card on file (the defaults are a $5 threshold and a $20 recharge). See Enabling SMS Auto-Recharge for setup instructions.
Upgrades, downgrades, and cancellation
- Upgrade or add team members: the free included credit follows the new plan size — each additional team member adds $8/month ($60/year on annual billing) of free texting credit.
- Downgrade: free included credits follow the new, smaller tier at the next renewal. Purchased credits are kept.
- Cancellation: free included plan credits end with the subscription. Purchased credits are kept.