In Notify Me, SMS messages are billed based on segments, not per message.
A single SMS message may use multiple segments depending on its length and character type.
This means a longer message or one that includes special characters or emojis may count as 2, 3, or more segments - and you'll be billed accordingly.
What’s an SMS Segment?
An SMS segment is a portion of your message that fits within a specific character limit:
GSM-7 characters (standard English letters): 1 segment = 160 characters
Unicode characters (emojis, accents, non-Latin scripts): 1 segment = 70 characters
When your message exceeds these limits, it’s split into multiple segments, and each one is billed separately.
For example:
A 300-character English message = 2 segments
A 140-character message in Arabic = 3 segments
How Segment Count Affects Your Charges
You’re billed per segment based on the destination country. If you see “250 segments of SMS” on your bill, that means the total cost is calculated as:
250 segments × [price per segment for that country]
Prices vary by country and are listed in your billing settings.
Why Your Segment Count May Seem High
A few reasons you might be using more segments than expected:
Your message includes dynamic fields like
{{product_name}}or{{shop_name}}- longer values increase character count.The message is written in Unicode-based languages (like Arabic, Chinese, etc.)
You're including emojis, symbols, or special punctuation.
Some fields (like unsubscribe instructions) are appended automatically and count toward the total.
Example Calculation
You wrote this template:
"{{product_name}} is back at {{shop_name}}. Click to buy: {{product_link}}"
On average:
Product name: Nike Running Shoes (20 characters)
Shop name: RunWorld (8 characters)
Product link: https://abc.runworld.com/123 (35 characters)
Plus unsubscribe text: To unsubscribe reply 1 (25 characters)
Total estimated characters: 125 →
Result: 1 segment if GSM-7, 2–3 if Unicode or emojis are used
How to Stay Within 1 Segment
Keep your message short and simple
Avoid emojis or special characters
Use abbreviations where appropriate