SMS Billing

Per-Segment Billing

Per-segment SMS billing currently applies to FlyNumbers in the United States, Mexico, and Lithuania.

Other SMS-enabled countries—such as Israel Mobile and Netherlands Mobile—receive incoming SMS at no charge. Check our coverage page for the full list of SMS-enabled numbers.

Lithuania Mobile — SMS Requires Activation

SMS is not enabled by default on Lithuania mobile numbers. To activate SMS, you'll need to open a support ticket requesting it. There is a one-time $5.00 setup fee and an additional $4.00/month fee (on top of the standard per-segment charges listed below). These extra fees apply only to Lithuania mobile numbers.

Incoming SMS messages to your FlyNumber are billed per segment based on the country where your number is located and the type of sender. This guide covers how those incoming charges work and what factors affect pricing. For outbound SMS — which has its own activation process and personal-use restriction — see the Outbound SMS section below.

How SMS Billing Works

When someone sends a text message to your FlyNumber:

1. The message is received and forwarded to your configured email
2. A small charge is deducted from your prepaid balance
3. The charge is based on the number of segments in the message

note

SMS charges are deducted automatically from your prepaid balance. If your balance is too low, the message will be blocked until you add funds.

Understanding SMS Segments

A single text message isn't always billed as one unit. Longer messages get split into multiple segments, and each segment is charged separately.

What is a Segment?

Think of a segment as a "packet" that carries your text. Standard SMS technology has limits on how much text fits in one packet:

Message Type	Single Segment Limit	Multi-Segment Limit
Standard text (GSM-7)	160 characters	153 characters per segment
Unicode text (UCS-2)	70 characters	67 characters per segment

Why the difference for multi-segment messages?

When a message is too long for one segment, extra header data is added to help your phone reassemble the pieces in the correct order. This header takes up 7 characters (GSM-7) or 3 characters (Unicode), reducing the available space per segment.

Standard Text vs. Unicode

Standard text (GSM-7) includes:

• Letters A-Z (upper and lowercase)
• Numbers 0-9
• Common punctuation: . , ! ? - ( ) / :
• Space and line breaks

Unicode (UCS-2) is required when a message contains:

• Emojis
• Characters from non-Latin scripts (Chinese, Arabic, Cyrillic, Hebrew, etc.)
• Special symbols not in the GSM-7 set

Extended Characters Count Double

Some characters are technically GSM-7 but use an escape sequence, counting as 2 characters:

[ ] { } \ ^ ~ | and the Euro sign

A message with several brackets or currency symbols will reach the segment limit faster than expected.

Segment Calculation Examples

Example 1: Short standard message

Message: "Your verification code is 847291"

• Character count: 35
• Encoding: GSM-7 (all standard characters)
• Segments: 1

Example 2: Longer standard message

Message: A 200-character business notification

• Character count: 200
• Encoding: GSM-7
• Calculation: 200 ÷ 153 = 1.31 → rounds up to 2
• Segments: 2

Example 3: Message with emoji

Message: "Thanks for your order! 🎉"

• Character count: 24
• Encoding: UCS-2 (emoji requires Unicode)
• Single segment limit: 70 characters
• Segments: 1

Example 4: Longer Unicode message

Message: An 80-character message in Chinese

• Character count: 80
• Encoding: UCS-2 (non-Latin script)
• Calculation: 80 ÷ 67 = 1.19 → rounds up to 2
• Segments: 2

SMS Rates by Country

Rates depend on two factors:

1. Country where your FlyNumber is located
2. Sender type (regular number or short code)

Regular Phone Numbers

When the sender uses a standard phone number (7+ digits):

Country	Rate per Segment
United States	$0.01
Mexico	$0.02
Lithuania*	$0.02
Canada	Free
Other countries	$0.02

*Lithuania mobile numbers also require a one-time $5.00 setup fee and $4.00/month — see the activation notice above.

Short Codes

Short codes are abbreviated numbers (typically 4-6 digits) used by businesses for marketing, two-factor authentication, and automated notifications. Examples: 87512, 72722, 55555

These carry a higher rate:

Country	Rate per Segment
United States	$0.02
Mexico	$0.04
Lithuania*	$0.04
Canada	Free
Other countries	$0.03

*Lithuania mobile numbers also require a one-time $5.00 setup fee and $4.00/month — see the activation notice above.

tip

Canadian FlyNumbers receive SMS at no charge regardless of sender type or message length.

Calculating Your SMS Cost

The formula is straightforward:

Total Cost = Number of Segments × Rate per Segment

Practical Examples

Scenario	Segments	Rate	Total Cost
US number, short text from regular number	1	$0.01	$0.01
US number, 2-segment message from regular number	2	$0.01	$0.02
US number, verification code from short code	1	$0.02	$0.02
US number, long promotional SMS from short code (3 segments)	3	$0.02	$0.06
Mexico number, standard text	1	$0.02	$0.02
Canada number, any message	Any	Free	$0.00

Insufficient Balance

If your prepaid balance cannot cover an incoming SMS:

1. The message is blocked - it will not be forwarded to your email
2. You receive a notification - an email alert about the blocked message
3. The message is logged - you can see it was attempted but not delivered

Avoid Missing Important Messages

Keep your prepaid balance topped up to ensure all incoming SMS messages are delivered. Consider setting up auto-refill to automatically add funds when your balance runs low.

Viewing SMS Charges

SMS charges appear on your invoices alongside other account activity. Each charge includes:

• Date and time received
• Sender number
• Your FlyNumber that received the message
• Number of segments
• Charge amount

Best Practices

1. Monitor your balance

   • Check your prepaid balance regularly
   • Set up low balance notifications
   • Enable auto-refill for uninterrupted service

2. Understand your usage patterns

   • If you receive many automated messages (2FA, alerts), expect higher SMS volume
   • Short code senders cost more per message
   • Long promotional messages may span multiple segments

3. Consider message sources

   • Bank verification codes typically come from short codes
   • Marketing messages are often multi-segment
   • Personal texts from regular numbers are usually single-segment

Disabling SMS Billing

If you prefer not to receive incoming SMS on your FlyNumber, you can request to disable SMS billing. This will stop both the charges and the SMS forwarding to your email.

To request this change:

1. Go to your SMS Settings (in Account Settings or Order Details)
2. Look for the SMS Billing notice
3. Click the "Request SMS Billing Change" button
4. The support ticket form will open with pre-filled details—just submit it

Our team will process your request and confirm once complete.

note

You can also request to re-enable SMS billing later using the same process.

Outbound SMS

Outbound SMS is not enabled by default on FlyNumber accounts. It's approved only for personal, person-to-person (P2P) use, and each request goes through a manual review before activation. Business, marketing, automated, and bulk messaging aren't permitted.

For the full breakdown of what's allowed, what isn't, and how to request activation, see Outbound SMS in the SMS Information guide.

note

Outbound SMS pricing will be published on this page once activation becomes generally available.

Related Topics

• SMS Information - Configure incoming SMS forwarding and review outbound SMS rules
• Outbound SMS - Personal-use policy and activation process
• Add Funds - Top up your prepaid balance
• Payment Preferences - Set up auto-refill and notifications