---
title: "SMS alert pricing and charges in STOQ"
description: "How STOQ charges for SMS, the per-segment price by country, and which countries aren't supported."
url: https://help.stoqapp.com/back-in-stock/sms-alert-pricing-and-charges/
product: "Back in Stock"
section: "Plans & billing"
last_updated: 2026-08-10
---

# SMS alert pricing and charges in STOQ

> How STOQ charges for SMS, the per-segment price by country, and which countries aren't supported.

STOQ charges a small fee to send each SMS notification for back in stock alerts and preorder notifications. These charges are separate from your subscription fee, and you're only billed for messages that are actually sent. If no SMS goes out in a given month, there's no SMS charge that month.

## How the charge works

SMS is billed by **segment**. A segment holds up to 160 standard characters, so a longer message is split into multiple segments and billed for each. For example, a 350-character message is about 3 segments.

The price per segment depends on the destination country (see the table below). At $0.025 per segment, 100 single-segment messages to US or Canada numbers cost $2.50 for the month.

For a full explanation of segments and how to keep messages to one, see [How SMS segments work](https://help.stoqapp.com/back-in-stock/how-sms-segments-work/).

## Special characters cost more

Emojis, accented letters (é, ñ), non-Latin scripts, and special symbols switch the message to a different encoding that fits only **70 characters per segment** instead of 160. Even one such character in an otherwise standard message triggers this, which can double or triple the number of segments (and the cost).

## Countries that can't receive SMS

STOQ cannot send SMS to these regions: Benin, China, Greece, Iran, Kenya, Malaysia, Russia, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam.

## Price per segment by country

| Country | Code | Price per segment |
|---|---|---|
| United States & Canada | 1 | $0.025 |
| Luxembourg | 352 | $0.10 |
| Nigeria | 234 | $1.00 |
| Australia | 61 | $0.15 |
| United Kingdom | 44 | $0.25 |
| Brazil | 55 | $0.20 |
| Sweden | 46 | $0.25 |
| Switzerland | 41 | $0.25 |
| Austria | 43 | $0.30 |
| Italy | 39 | $0.30 |
| Hungary | 36 | $0.30 |
| Puerto Rico | 1787 | $0.30 |
| Denmark | 45 | $0.30 |
| New Zealand | 64 | $0.30 |
| Colombia | 57 | $0.30 |
| Portugal | 351 | $0.30 |
| France | 33 | $0.30 |
| Spain | 34 | $0.30 |
| India | 91 | $0.35 |
| Germany | 49 | $0.35 |
| Netherlands | 31 | $0.35 |
| Argentina | 54 | $0.35 |
| Norway | 47 | $0.35 |
| Belgium | 32 | $0.35 |
| Ireland | 353 | $0.35 |
| Poland | 48 | $0.35 |
| Japan | 81 | $0.35 |
| Iceland | 354 | $0.35 |
| Malta | 356 | $0.35 |
| Ukraine | 380 | $0.45 |
| Kuwait | 965 | $0.80 |
| Mexico | 52 | $0.45 |
| South Africa | 27 | $0.50 |
| Israel | 972 | $0.70 |
| Pakistan | 92 | $1.20 |
| Egypt | 20 | $0.65 |
| Lebanon | 961 | $0.65 |
| Indonesia | 62 | $1.10 |
| Rest of world | | $0.30 |

## FAQ

### Are SMS charges part of my subscription?

No. SMS fees are separate from your plan subscription and are billed on top of it, only for messages actually sent.

### Why did one message cost more than one segment?

The message was longer than 160 standard characters (or it contained an emoji or special character, which drops the limit to 70). See [How SMS segments work](https://help.stoqapp.com/back-in-stock/how-sms-segments-work/).

### What if I don't send any SMS in a month?

You aren't charged any SMS fee for that month. You only pay for messages that are sent.

### Can I send SMS to any country?

Most, but not all. The countries listed above can't receive SMS, and prices vary by destination. Anywhere not listed is billed at the "Rest of world" rate.

## Related guides

- [How SMS segments work](https://help.stoqapp.com/back-in-stock/how-sms-segments-work/): Why messages split into segments and how to keep them short.
- [Set up SMS alerts](https://help.stoqapp.com/back-in-stock/back-in-stock-sms-alerts/): Turn on SMS, verification, and cost.
- [Check your plan usage and remaining alerts](https://help.stoqapp.com/back-in-stock/back-in-stock-plan-usage/): See how many alerts and SMS segments you've sent.