On this page

Jump to any section using the links below

SMS settings allow you to monitor SMS spending, set cost limits, and receive notifications when expenses reach specified thresholds. This helps you control SMS costs and prevent unexpected bills.

Accessing SMS settings

Go to Account → SMS settings. This page shows your current notification configuration, monthly billing history, and options to edit spending controls.

SMS notification settings summary

The page displays a summary of your current SMS notification configuration:

• Whether you receive notifications of excessive monthly SMS expenses
• Whether there is a maximum limit on monthly SMS expenses
• Instructions to click Edit to change settings

This summary provides a quick overview of your spending controls and alerts.

Monthly SMS billing history

The SMS bill this month and the past 3 months section shows your SMS expenses for the current month and previous three months. Each month displays the total cost in your local currency (e.g., kr. for Danish Kroner).

This billing history helps you:

• Track SMS usage trends over time
• Identify months with unusual spending
• Budget for expected SMS costs
• Monitor the effectiveness of spending limits

SMS unit pricing

The page displays the current SMS unit price (e.g., 0,20 kr. per SMS). This is the cost charged for each SMS sent through Hubhus.

An important note explains: "One SMS is 160 characters in length. One text message can thus count as multiple SMSes."

This means:

• Messages up to 160 characters = 1 SMS unit
• Messages 161-320 characters = 2 SMS units
• Messages 321-480 characters = 3 SMS units
• And so on...

Understanding this is crucial for cost planning, as longer messages multiply your costs.

Editing SMS settings

Click the Edit button to open the SMS settings configuration dialog. Here you can configure three main settings:

Notification threshold

Setting: Notify when current month's SMS bill reaches DKK:

This dropdown allows you to set a spending threshold that triggers email notifications. Options typically include various amounts or "Never" to disable notifications.

When your monthly SMS spending reaches this amount, the specified recipient will receive an email alert. This provides early warning before costs become excessive.

Maximum monthly spending limit

Setting: Max. monthly SMS bill (DKK):

This field sets a hard limit on monthly SMS spending. The system explains: "We will block sending more text messages, when this monthly spending is reached. The count is reset each month."

Setting a maximum:

• Prevents runaway SMS costs
• Blocks additional SMS sending once the limit is reached
• Resets automatically at the start of each month
• Provides absolute cost control

Leave this field as "No max" if you don't want a spending cap.

Notification recipient

Setting: E-mail recipient

Enter the email address that should receive notifications when spending thresholds are reached. This ensures the right person is alerted to monitor and manage SMS costs.

You can specify any email address, typically:

• Account administrators
• Finance/billing contacts
• Marketing team leads
• Anyone responsible for SMS campaign management

How spending controls work

When you configure SMS settings:

1. Hubhus tracks SMS sending in real-time
2. As spending approaches the notification threshold, an email is sent
3. If a maximum limit is set, SMS sending is blocked when reached
4. At the start of each new month, counters reset automatically
5. Billing history is updated to reflect actual costs

Character count and message splitting

To manage costs effectively, understand how message length affects billing:

Single SMS (160 characters):

• Plain text up to 160 characters
• Costs 1 SMS unit

Multi-part SMS (161+ characters):

• 161-320 characters = 2 SMS units
• 321-480 characters = 3 SMS units
• Each additional 160 characters adds another unit

Special characters:

• Some special characters (emojis, certain symbols) may reduce the 160-character limit
• Unicode characters can trigger different encoding that reduces characters per message

Best practices for SMS cost management

To control SMS spending effectively:

Set appropriate limits:

• Configure notification thresholds below your comfort level
• Set maximum limits to prevent budget overruns
• Review limits quarterly based on actual usage

Monitor regularly:

• Check monthly billing history
• Investigate unusual spikes in spending
• Adjust limits as your SMS needs change

Optimize message length:

• Keep messages under 160 characters when possible
• Remove unnecessary words or phrases
• Use URL shorteners for links
• Avoid special characters that trigger Unicode encoding

Plan campaigns carefully:

• Estimate SMS volume before sending bulk messages
• Calculate expected costs based on recipient count
• Consider splitting large campaigns across months if near limits

Review recipient lists:

• Remove invalid phone numbers
• Segment audiences to send targeted messages
• Avoid sending unnecessary SMS messages

Troubleshooting SMS delivery issues

If SMS messages are not being sent or delivered, this is typically due to sender configuration, validation issues, regional restrictions, or billing limits being reached.

For detailed troubleshooting steps, see the article: Why are SMS messages not being sent?

This article covers:

• Checking SMS sending history and logs
• Verifying SMS sender configuration
• Country and region restrictions
• SMS spam protection and delivery restrictions
• Blacklist/whitelist settings
• Phone number formatting requirements

Cost calculation example

Understanding how costs accumulate:

Scenario: SMS unit price is 0,20 kr.

• Sending 100 messages of 150 characters each = 100 SMS units = 20,00 kr.
• Sending 100 messages of 200 characters each = 200 SMS units = 40,00 kr.
• Sending 100 messages of 400 characters each = 300 SMS units = 60,00 kr.

This demonstrates how message length significantly impacts total costs.

Summary

SMS settings provide comprehensive cost control for SMS sending in Hubhus. Monitor monthly spending through billing history, set notification thresholds to receive alerts when approaching spending limits, configure maximum monthly limits to block excessive sending, and understand SMS unit pricing with 160-character segments. Configure email recipients for cost notifications, regularly review spending patterns, and optimize message length to control costs. For SMS delivery troubleshooting, see the dedicated article on SMS delivery issues. This ensures SMS remains an effective communication channel while staying within budget constraints.

Related articles

Why are SMS messages not being sent?
How to edit SMS templates
How do I configure when SMS/email are sent?