How Message Segments Work
A text message is counted in sections called segments.
Segments are 160 characters or less. If your message is longer than that, it will be split into more than one segment.
For example:
- 1 to 160 characters count as 1 segment.
- 161 to 320 characters count as 2 segments.
Special Characters Can Reduce the Character Limit
Some characters take up more space than regular letters, numbers, and basic punctuation.
When your message includes these special characters, mobile carriers may change the message to a different format called UCS-2 encoding.
When this happens, each segment may only allow about 70 characters instead of 160. That means your message can use more segments, even if it does not look very long.
Common examples include:
- Emoji’s
- Curly quotation marks, like “ ” or ’
- Special spaces
- Certain symbols
For example, a message with only regular letters may fit into 1 segment. That same message with an emoji or quotes may use more segments because the character limit changes.
What You’ll See in the App
As you write your message, VisitorReach will show helpful counts so you know how your message is being calculated.
You may see:
- Characters: The number of characters in your message
- Words: The number of words in your message
- SMS Segments: The number of text segments your message will use
Message Limits and Monitoring
Your VisitorReach plan includes a set number of message segments each month.
You can view your current usage and remaining message balance from the Home screen of your dashboard.
What Counts Toward Your Text Total?
Here’s what counts toward your text usage:
- Sending a text message: Yes, it counts
- Receiving a text message: Yes, incoming texts count
- Sending an email: No, emails are unlimited and do not count
Do Unused Texts Roll Over?
No. Unused texts do not roll over.
Your message balance resets at the beginning of each new month.
Need More Texts?
If you need more texts than your plan includes, you have two options:
- Buy a block early: $50 for 2,500 additional texts
- Pay as you go: $0.03 per additional text, billed at the end of the month
Buying a block ahead of time can help you save money if you expect a busy outreach month.
Important Notes
If you go over your included texts, you can still purchase a bundle before the end of the month. The bundle will apply retroactively to the entire month.
If you exceed your plan limit, you can buy a bundle to cover overages, but unused texts will not roll over.
We recommend purchasing a bundle if you are 1,675 texts or more over your plan, since that is usually the more cost-effective option.
Segment counts are estimates and may vary slightly depending on the carrier.