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RCS Billing and Message Types
Your RCS billing depends on the type of content that you send and how your message is routed. The Usage Type in your rate table shows how the system categorizes each delivered message.
Message Types
Outside the United States, carriers group messages into two simple categories based on their length and content.
| Usage Type | What It Includes |
|---|---|
| Basic | Text-only messages of 160 characters or fewer. These can include a link preview. |
| Single | Any message with media (like images, videos, carousels, or PDFs), interactive buttons, or plain text that goes over 160 characters. |
Message Types for United States
U.S. mobile carriers use a different billing model. They bill your messages based on the specific features you include.
| Usage Type | What It Includes |
|---|---|
| RichMessage | Messages that contain only text, suggested quick replies, or basic actions (like a button to call a number or open a website). Carriers bill these in segments of 160 characters each. |
| RichMediaMessage | Messages that include cards, carousels, file attachments (images/videos), or advanced actions (like location sharing or calendar events). Carriers bill these as a single flat-rate event, no matter how long the text is. |
Domestic vs. International Routing
Carriers charge different rates depending on where your business is legally registered and how your traffic enters the phone network.
Domestic Rates: To get domestic rates, you must register a local business entity in the destination country and send messages through an approved local network gateway.
International Rates: If you don’t have a registered local business in the destination country, or if your messages are routed through international networks, international rates apply.
Where Routing Rates Matter
For most countries, domestic and international costs are the same. They appear separately in your billing panel so your statements stay accurate if carriers change their rules later.
However, India and Mexico charge different prices for domestic and international traffic. In these countries, carriers strictly check whether your business has a local legal registration before applying the lower domestic rate.
