How SMS credits work

How SMS credits work

You get 1 credit per text message on BCKSTG. That's it.

The standard rate

When you send a text to a fan:

• Standard text (under 160 characters) → 1 credit
• Text with a link (typically 1-2 segments) → 1 credit (first segment is free)
• Long messages (more than 2 segments) → 1 credit per additional segment

So 1-segment = 1 credit, 2-segment = 1 credit, 3-segment = 2 credits, 4-segment = 3 credits, and so on.

Why "first segment is free"?

A typical artist text reads like:

Test Artist: new music, listen here: https://gl.bckstg.co/AbC12

Once you include the URL and the required "Reply STOP to end" footer, that's usually around 150-200 characters. Most messaging platforms count this as 2 segments and charge 2 credits.

BCKSTG charges 1 credit for any 1- or 2-segment text. The first segment is free. Only when you write 3+ segments does the cost scale up.

How does this compare to Laylo?

Laylo charges 10 credits per SMS segment. For a typical 2-segment text, that's 20 credits = $0.040 per recipient.

On BCKSTG, the same text is 1 credit = $0.015 per recipient at the 1,000-pack rate.

BCKSTG is roughly 62% cheaper per typical artist blast.

International rates

Texts to international fans (outside US/Canada) cost 3 credits per segment. International SMS routing is more expensive, those credits cover the carrier passthrough fees we pay.

What we do behind the scenes

BCKSTG automatically:

• Shortens any URLs in your message to gl.bckstg.co/{code} (26 characters). Saves 30-50 characters on a typical Spotify or ticket-link URL, which often keeps messages inside a single segment.
• Normalizes typography, em-dashes become hyphens, curly quotes become straight quotes, ellipsis becomes three dots, etc. Your message reads the same to fans, but it counts as GSM-7 encoding (160 chars/segment) instead of Unicode (67 chars/segment after the first). A single em-dash can otherwise double your segment cost.
• Appends "Reply STOP to end", required by carriers (CTIA + TCPA). We use the shortest compliant form (18 characters).

These three things together mean your typical artist text almost always costs 1 credit, even when you include a link and use natural punctuation.

Pricing packs

• 100 credits, $5 ($0.050 per credit)
• 500 credits, $10 ($0.020 per credit)
• 1,000 credits, $15 ($0.015 per credit, best rate)

Credits never expire. Use them across email blasts and SMS.

A note for paid users

If you're on Pro, Lifetime, or in your free trial, SMS is unlocked automatically, no waiting for admin approval, no per-account toggle. Just buy credits and send.

Updates (2026-06-12)

• Activation intros are free. When your number first goes live, every already-opted-in fan gets one intro with your contact card. We do not charge credits for it.
• New-fan intros are free. Each fan who opts into your texts after activation gets one intro from you. We do not charge credits for it either.
• You receive your own blasts through your fan list. Standard credit cost applies to your own copy, same as any other subscriber. Unsubscribe yourself if you do not want copies.