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WelcoYour alerts, by text.

What is a message credit?

Every Welco plan comes with a set number of message credits each month, and each alert you send uses some of them. One credit is one text part of up to 160 plain characters, sent to one cellphone. Here is exactly how we count them for Canadian numbers.

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  • 160 plain characters per credit
  • Each phone counts separately
  • Never more than 6 credits per alert
Message credit: try it1 message credit = 160 characters
87 / 160 characters1 credit

Plain letters, numbers and common symbols: 160 characters fit in 1 credit.

Illustration of Message credit.

The short answer

A message credit is how Welco measures what your alerts send. Four rules cover nearly every alert.

  • One part, one phone, one credit

    One text part to one phone uses 1 message credit.

  • 160 plain characters

    An alert written in plain letters, numbers and common symbols fits 160 characters into 1 credit.

  • 70 with an emoji

    One emoji or special character switches the whole alert to a smaller format of 70 characters. Think of °C, curly “smart quotes” from Outlook or Word, or French accents such as ê or ô, which fall outside the basic set.

  • Each phone counts

    Each phone is counted on its own. One alert to 3 phones, at 1 credit each, uses 3 credits.

How many credits an alert uses

Look up the length of the whole text in the left column, or in the middle one if it has a special character. Longer alerts go in parts of 152 plain characters (66 with special characters), and each part is 1 credit.

Canadian and US numbers. In the UK and the Netherlands, longer parts hold 153 plain characters, or 67 with special characters. Length means the whole text, including about 30 characters for the Welco label and STOP line.

up to 160 characters

Has an emoji or special character
up to 70
Credits per phone
1

161-304

Has an emoji or special character
71-132
Credits per phone
2

305-456

Has an emoji or special character
133-198
Credits per phone
3

457-608

Has an emoji or special character
199-264
Credits per phone
4

609-760

Has an emoji or special character
265-330
Credits per phone
5

761 or more

Has an emoji or special character
331 or more
Credits per phone
6 (maximum)

What's included in the length

US carriers want each business text to show who sent it and how to stop, and Welco uses the same format for Canadian phones. So every alert starts with Welco: and ends with Reply STOP to opt out., and you can't turn either off. Together they take about 30 characters, which leaves about 130 characters of your own alert in 1 credit.

A few characters count as 2 each: [ ] { } \ ~ ^ | and €. A line break counts as 1.

The pump station alarm below is 85 characters long. Its two square brackets count as 2 each, so Welco counts 87. That is plain text under 160, so it uses 1 credit.

Pump station alarm: 85 characters, counted as 87
Welco: [Pump Station 2] Well 3 level LOW LOW alarm at 1:58 PM. Reply STOP to opt out.

Examples of credits per alert

Each example counts the whole text, label and STOP line included.

The pump station alarm above (85 characters, counted as 87, plain)

Phones
1
Credits
1

The same pump station alarm

Phones
3
Credits
3

A 240-character server alert from the Toronto office

Phones
2
Credits
2 × 2 = 4

A 100-character freezer alert with °C in it (special character)

Phones
1
Credits
2

A 3,000-character alarm email, not trimmed

Phones
1
Credits
6 (capped)

A return-to-normal email dropped by a rule

Phones
4
Credits
0

See what your own alerts use

Your 7-day free trial comes with 15 message credits. Send a real alarm and see its count.

7-day free trial, 15 message creditsCard required for verificationNo charge for 7 daysEmail reminder before billing

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What uses credits, and what never does

Every text, in either direction, uses credits by the same rules. Anything Welco stops before it reaches the mobile network is free.

Uses credits

  • Each alert text, once for every phone it goes to.
  • Your staff's replies, like YES, STOP, HELP or a short note.
  • Welco's own confirmation, STOP and HELP texts.
  • A text the network or the phone fails to deliver. It uses its credits as soon as Welco hands it to the mobile network, and they aren't refunded. Our delivery rates disclosure explains why.

Never uses credits

  • Emails that your alert rules drop.
  • Emails from senders you haven't approved.
  • Alerts you run in test mode.
  • Texts our system rejects at the moment of sending.
  • Alerts held because they contain a blocked word or phrase.

Monthly credits, packs and running out

Compare plans and prices to find the right size. All prices are in US dollars (USD). Customers in Canada pay in US dollars too.

  • Monthly credits reset

    Your plan's message credits reset each billing month. Credits you don't use that month don't carry over. Yearly plans get the same credits each month.

  • Credit packs never expire

    Welco draws on a pack only after the month's plan credits are gone. Packs come in two sizes: 500 credits for US$40, or 1,000 credits for US$70.

  • When every credit is used

    We email the admin at 80%, 90%, 95% used. At 100%, a pack takes over if you have one. Otherwise alerts pause, and you are never charged for overage.

How to use fewer credits

Most alerts can fit in 1 credit with a few small changes.

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Frequently asked questions

Why did one alert use 2 credits?

It was too long for one part, or it had a special character. A plain alert over 160 characters goes in parts of 152, and each part is 1 credit. One emoji, a degree sign or a curly quote drops the limit to 70, with parts of 66. Trimming the alert or removing that character usually brings it back to 1.

Do replies use credits?

Yes, replies are counted the same way as alerts. A short YES or STOP from your staff uses 1 credit, and a longer note can use more. Welco's own confirmation, HELP and STOP texts use credits too. Emails your rules drop, emails from unapproved senders and alerts in test mode never do.

Do unused credits roll over?

Monthly credits don't. They reset each billing month, and any left over are gone. Credit packs work the other way: they never expire and stay on your account until you use them. Welco spends the month's credits first and only then draws from a pack.

Does each phone cost a credit?

Yes. Credits are counted per phone, because each phone gets its own copy of the text. A 1-credit alert sent to 4 people uses 4 credits. There are no per-user fees on top, so another person joining costs only the credits their alerts use.

Is there a maximum per alert?

Yes. One alert to one phone never uses more than 6 credits, however long the email is. A 3,000-character alarm email that isn't trimmed still stops at 6. A trim rule is the better fix, since most of a long email is detail nobody needs on a phone.

Do the Welco label and STOP line count toward the character limit?

Yes. Welco: at the start and Reply STOP to opt out. at the end take about 30 characters between them. That leaves about 130 plain characters for your own alert in 1 credit. US carriers require both lines, Welco keeps them on Canadian texts too, and they can't be turned off.

How many message credits come with the free trial?

The 7-day free trial includes 15 message credits. A short alert to one phone uses 1, so that covers a fair number of real alarms to two or three phones. Use them to see what your own alerts count before you choose a plan.

Count your credits with a real alarm

Use the 7-day free trial and its 15 message credits to see exactly what each of your alerts uses.

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7-day free trial, 15 message creditsCard required for verificationNo charge for 7 daysEmail reminder before billing