> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://developer.zeckta.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Billing

***

title: Billing FAQ
description: Frequently asked questions about SMS units, costs, wallet balances, and billing.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="How am I charged for messages?" icon="wallet">
    SMS charges are based on the number of SMS units consumed.

    The total cost depends on:

    \* Message length
    \* Message encoding
    \* Number of recipients
    \* Destination routing policies

    Each API response includes the calculated unit count.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What is an SMS unit?" icon="calculator">
    An SMS unit represents a billable SMS segment.

    Long messages may be split into multiple segments before delivery.

    The number of units consumed is returned in:

    \* Message Preview responses
    \* Single SMS responses
    \* Campaign responses
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How can I estimate cost before sending?" icon="magnifying-glass-dollar">
    Use the Message Preview endpoint.

    The preview response includes:

    \* Encoding
    \* Message length
    \* Segment count
    \* SMS units
    \* Estimated cost

    No message is delivered during preview.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="When is my balance deducted?" icon="credit-card">
    Message costs are calculated when a message or campaign is accepted for processing.

    The calculated units and estimated cost are returned in the API response.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Why did my message consume multiple units?" icon="message">
    Messages that exceed a single SMS segment may be split into multiple segments.

    Factors that affect segment count include:

    \* Message length
    \* Unicode content
    \* Special characters
    \* Emoji

    Use the Message Preview endpoint to verify segment usage before sending.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do Unicode messages cost more?" icon="language">
    Unicode messages often consume more SMS segments than GSM-7 messages.

    Examples include:

    \* Emoji
    \* Arabic
    \* Chinese
    \* Japanese
    \* Certain accented characters

    The Message Preview endpoint automatically detects encoding and calculates usage.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How are campaign costs calculated?" icon="users">
    Campaign cost is calculated using:

    ```text theme={null}
    Recipients × Units Per Message
    ```

    Campaign responses include:

    \* Recipient count
    \* Units per message
    \* Total units
    \* Estimated total cost
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I see cost before launching a campaign?" icon="chart-column">
    Yes.

    You can use the Message Preview endpoint to determine:

    \* Encoding
    \* Segment count
    \* Units consumed

    before creating a campaign.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Will failed messages be billed?" icon="circle-question">
    Billing behavior may depend on destination network processing and routing outcomes.

    Review campaign reports and delivery statuses to understand final delivery results.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Where can I see message cost information?" icon="receipt">
    Cost information is returned by various API endpoints including:

    \* Message Preview
    \* Send Single SMS
    \* Create Campaign
    \* Campaign Reports
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>