How Rally credits work
Credits are used for both sending and receiving messages.
SMS (text messages)
Up to 160 characters → 1 credit
161–320 characters → 2 credits
Longer messages continue to split into additional segments (and use more credits)
MMS (images, video, PDF, vCard)
2 credits per message fixed
What changes how credits are calculated?
SMS pricing depends on the type of characters in your message:
1. Standard text (GSM-7)
This includes:
A–Z, a–z
Numbers
Basic punctuation (.,!?)
→ Up to 160 characters per credit
2. Special characters (Unicode)
If your message includes any of the following, it switches to Unicode:
Emojis (😊 👍 🎉)
Smart quotes (“ ” ‘ ’)
Accented letters (é, ñ, ü)
Certain symbols or non-English characters
→ Limit drops to 70 characters per credit
Important:
There are no “safe” emojis in GSM-7.
Any emoji will reduce your character limit and may increase credits.
Examples
120 plain text characters → 1 credit
200 plain text characters → 2 credits
120 characters + emoji → 2 credits (Unicode)
MMS with image → 2 credits
Tips to avoid extra credits
Avoid emojis and special characters if you want to stay at 1 credit
Use plain quotes (" ") instead of smart quotes
Keep messages concise
Watch personalization fields like
{{first_name}}(they can increase length)Use our GSM-7 Tool (button lights up) to identify and remove characters pushing you into multiple SMS credits
Use Credit Counter
Use the character and credit counter as you compose a message to see how the system counts your message.
Tip: Add an image and send the message as an MMS instead of SMS. This forces it into an MMS message, which is often more cost-effective than a multi-segment SMS.
⚠️ Heads up: personalization and links can add a segment
The counter shows the length of the message as you typed it. When we send it to the carriers, personalization variables (like {{first_name}}) get filled in with each contact's real value, and tracked short links expand to their full tracking URL. If that makes the final message longer than what you see, it can roll into the next segment and use an extra credit. A message that looks like 2 credits can send as 3.
This only affects SMS. To avoid the surprise, attach an image to send it as MMS. MMS gives you up to 1,600 characters for one fixed fee, no matter how personalization or links change the length.
Need More Credits?
Every plan includes credits, and you can add more anytime.
Get 1,000 credits for $50 (bulk discounts available).
Monthly plan credits expire at the end of the month
Added/Purchased credits never expire
Extras & Special Cases
MMS, international messaging, and calling features may require additional credits.
Tell us what you’re planning, and we’ll estimate exactly what you’ll need.