RCS is the only channel where content shape determines whether a send is a Basic Message or a Single Message. Conversation sessions and newsletter MAU each have their own rules. All RCS billing units count toward the RCS tier — independently from email and SMS volume.

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MESSAGE sends

Send contentBilling unit
Text ≤ 160 UTF-8 chars, no suggestions, no rich bodyBasic Message
Text > 160 charsSingle Message
Any suggestions (reply or action chips)Single Message
Rich card, carousel, or mediaSingle Message
Both Basic and Single count toward your RCS tier volume.

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CONVERSATION sends

Traffic inside an active 24-hour session bills as Conversation. A session opens when a user replies to an outbound message. Sends within the session window are billed at the Conversation rate; the initial outbound hold resolves at that price. See RCS conversation for the full session lifecycle. Conversation units count toward the RCS tier volume.

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NEWSLETTER sends (MAU)

The RCS newsletter channel bills as a single MAU (Monthly Active User) charge — there is no per-message charge on top.
  • MAU — charged once per subscribed user per agent per calendar month, triggered on the first send of that month to the subscriber
  • Subsequent sends to the same subscriber in the same month: no charge (hold_amount: 0)
Daily send limit — the newsletter channel allows at most one message per day per subscriber. A second send on the same calendar day is rejected with 429. For tier volume, MAU counts as 1 per unique subscriber per month regardless of how many days you sent to them.
Newsletter capability must be set at agent creation (newsletter_enabled: true) — it cannot be added retroactively. See Newsletter enablement for details.

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RCS tier

RCS has its own independent tier separate from email and SMS. Your RCS send volume (Basic + Single + Conversation + MAU) only affects your RCS pricing.
Current RCS tier thresholds and prices are visible in the Billing section of your dashboard. Mid-month upgrades apply from the next message sent.

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Tier transitions

  • Upgrade — triggered mid-month when your RCS volume crosses a threshold. Lower pricing applies from the next message sent.
  • Downgrade — if you fall below a tier’s threshold for three consecutive calendar months, you downgrade at the start of the fourth month. One month back above the threshold resets the counter.

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API entry points

RCS text

Basic vs Single from length and suggestions.

RCS conversation

Session lifecycle and Conversation billing.

RCS newsletter

MAU per subscriber per month — no per-message charge.

Billing units

Prepaid model, per-channel tiers, and transitions.