SMS billing FAQ-Short Message Service(SMS)-阿里云帮助中心

Refunds
- Can I receive a refund for the unused resources in my resource plan?
- What are the refund rules for SMS resource plans?
Resource plans
Submitting billing inquiries
Invoices

Can I get a refund for the unused resources in my resource plan?

Resource plans cannot be refunded or extended after they expire.
Used resource plans cannot be refunded.
For unused resource plans that are still within their validity period, you can request a self-service refund on the Resource Plan page in the console.

How are charges calculated after I exceed my resource plan limit?

If you do not have an active resource plan, any usage that exceeds the plan limit is automatically billed on a pay-as-you-go basis. Charges are deducted from your Alibaba Cloud account balance. The service is suspended if your account has an overdue payment. For more information, see Pricing of Domestic SMS and Pricing of International SMS.

What happens if my resource plan expires before I use all of it?

A resource plan takes effect immediately after purchase and becomes invalid after it expires. Any unused messages are forfeited.

What are the refund rules for SMS resource plans?

Used or expired resource plans cannot be refunded.
If an order contains multiple resource plans, you cannot refund individual unused and unexpired plans. You must request a refund for the entire order.
If the content you send involves illegal activities, triggers regulatory investigations, user complaints, or public opinion issues, Alibaba Cloud has the right to suspend or terminate your service based on Article 5 of the Terms of Service. Alibaba Cloud also has the right to deduct an amount from your order or account as a penalty for breach of contract. If this amount is not enough to cover the losses incurred by Alibaba Cloud, Alibaba Cloud reserves the right to seek further compensation.
After a resource plan is refunded, the available invoice quota is automatically reduced. Do not request an invoice for a refunded order. This will prevent your invoice quota from becoming negative, which can affect withdrawal requests. If you have already issued an invoice for the order, you must return the invoice before you can request a refund.
The portion of the payment made with a coupon cannot be refunded.
After a resource plan is refunded, any free gifts, such as coupons or extended service periods, are forfeited.

Why are SMS resource plans more expensive than the pay-as-you-go billing method?

Domestic SMS resource plans apply a uniform unit price across different SMS template types. International SMS resource plans apply a uniform unit price across different destination countries or regions. Select the billing method that best suits your needs.

Can I transfer an SMS resource plan?

Purchased resource plans cannot be transferred.

I purchased a Domestic SMS resource plan. Can I use the remaining balance to pay for International SMS messages?

No, you cannot. Domestic SMS resource plans can only be used for Domestic SMS messages. They cannot be used for International SMS messages.

What types of SMS messages are supported by resource plans?

Domestic SMS resource plans can only be used for Domestic SMS messages. They cannot be used for International SMS messages. For more information, see Pricing of Domestic SMS.
International SMS resource plans can only be used for International SMS messages. For more information, see Pricing of International SMS.

My resource plan is about to expire. How can I switch to the pay-as-you-go billing method without affecting my services?

After a resource plan is used up or expires, Short Message Service is billed on a pay-as-you-go basis until the service is suspended due to an overdue payment. Your services are not affected if your account balance is sufficient.

Do Domestic SMS resource plans differentiate between SMS templates?

Domestic SMS resource plans apply to all SMS templates for Domestic SMS messages. However, individual users can only send verification codes and notification messages. They cannot send promotional messages. We recommend that you upgrade to an enterprise user to use this feature. For more information, see Usage notes.

My resource plan has messages remaining and the API call is normal. Why did the message fail to send with an "insufficient balance" error?

Resource plans cannot be used if your account has an overdue payment. Make sure your account balance is greater than 0. You can call the SMS API only when your resource plan has remaining messages and your account has no overdue payments.

Why do I receive a "Purchase not allowed" message when I try to buy a resource plan?

You cannot purchase a new resource plan if your account has an overdue payment. Existing resource plans also cannot be used. Top up your account and make sure your account balance is greater than 0 before you purchase a resource plan.

Can I extend the validity period of the remaining messages in an unused SMS resource plan?

Remaining subscription packages cannot be extended. You should use them as soon as possible.

After my SMS resource plan is used up, will my billing method switch to pay-as-you-go or will the service be suspended?

After your SMS resource plan is used up, subsequent messages are billed on a pay-as-you-go basis. The service is not suspended immediately. If your account balance is insufficient and an overdue payment occurs, the service is suspended. For more information about overdue payments, see Overdue payments.

Why am I still being charged on a pay-as-you-go basis after buying a resource plan?

Messages sent before you purchased the resource plan and messages sent after you used up the resource plan are automatically billed on a pay-as-you-go basis. Make sure the resource plan is:

The correct type: Domestic SMS resource plans and International SMS resource plans cannot be used interchangeably.
Within its validity period: Domestic SMS resource plans are typically valid for two years. Use the messages within the validity period.

Why can't I issue an invoice after topping up my account?

Both general VAT invoices and special VAT invoices are issued as electronic invoices. For more information, see Issue an invoice. You cannot issue an invoice in the following situations:

The invoicable amount for top-ups and pay-as-you-go monthly bills is the actual settlement amount for the current month. Invoices are issued based on the consumption amount for the current month, not the top-up amount.
Short Message Service uses a T+1 month billing model. This means you can request an invoice after the bill for the previous month is generated and the payment is deducted.
Invoices are issued based on monthly settlement bills. A single monthly settlement bill cannot be split into multiple invoices.

Can I request an invoice after purchasing an SMS resource plan?

Yes, you can. After you purchase an SMS resource plan, you can request an invoice in the Alibaba Cloud Expenses and Costs console. For detailed instructions, see How do I request an invoice?.

What should I do if the payment entity and invoicing entity are different?

The entity that collects payments for Alibaba Cloud communication products is different from the entity that issues invoices. However, the two entities are affiliated companies. To issue an invoice or file for reimbursement, choose one of the following methods:
- Alibaba Cloud provides documentation certifying the relationship between the two entities. You can download the relevant company certification documents for your financial reimbursement process. For more information, see What do I do if the invoicing entity and the payment entity are different?
- If the entities must be identical, you must make a corporate bank transfer and then manually claim each fund that requires an invoice. For more information, see Claim a remittance.
If the actual paying entity is different from the entity that completed identity verification for the Alibaba Cloud account:
- You must sign a long-term third-party payment agreement to use a third-party enterprise for payments. For more information, see Use a third-party account for payment.

Am I charged for failed SMS messages?

Billing for Domestic SMS is based on the status of carrier receipts. If a message is submitted successfully but the carrier receipt indicates a failure, you are not charged.
Billing for International SMS is based on the submission status of the message. You are charged after a message is sent, even if the carrier receipt indicates a failure.

For more information, see Billing overview.

For failed messages, do I get the message count back or a monetary refund?

When a message fails to send and you receive a failure receipt, the platform first tries to return the number of failed messages to your active resource plan. If the messages cannot be returned to a resource plan, the equivalent cost is calculated based on the pay-as-you-go price and refunded to your Alibaba Cloud account balance. The specific rules are as follows:

If you have active, unexpired resource plans that have been partially used, the platform prioritizes returning the failed messages to the resource plan you are currently using.
If a refund to a valid package results in a remainder, the system refunds the remainder to the previous valid package that can accept credits. This process is repeated sequentially.
If failed messages remain after attempting to return them to all active resource plans, or if you have no active resource plans, the platform calculates the refund amount. The calculation is: Pay-as-you-go unit price × Number of remaining failed messages. The amount is then refunded to your Alibaba Cloud account balance.

Note

There is a time lag between when a message is sent and when a failure receipt is received. A resource plan might be full when the message count is returned. This can cause the failed messages to be refunded to your account balance instead. However, subsequent messages you send will be deducted from the resource plan. This can create a situation where a resource plan has space for returned messages, but the failed messages have already been refunded to your account balance.
The number of remaining messages in a resource plan after failed messages are returned will not exceed the total number of messages in the plan at the time of purchase.

Example scenario:

Assume you have three resource plans:

Plan A: 1,000 messages purchased. Now expired. Cannot accept returned messages.
Plan B: 1,500 messages purchased. Used up but not expired. Can accept 1,500 returned messages.
Plan C: 3,000 messages purchased. 1,000 messages remaining. Can accept 2,000 returned messages.

If a send operation fails and 4,500 messages need to be returned to your account, the platform processes the return as follows:

The platform finds the current active, unexpired plan, Plan C, and attempts to return 4,500 messages to it. Plan C only has space for 2,000 messages, so 2,000 messages are returned to Plan C. 2,500 messages remain to be returned.
The platform finds the previous active, unexpired plan, Plan B, and attempts to return the remaining 2,500 messages. Plan B only has space for 1,500 messages, so 1,500 messages are returned to Plan B. 1,000 messages remain to be returned.
The platform continues to search for a package to roll back to, but "Package A" has expired and is ineligible for rollback.
For the remaining 1,000 messages that could not be returned to a resource plan, the platform calculates the refund amount. The calculation is: Number of remaining messages × Pay-as-you-go unit price. The amount is then refunded to your Alibaba Cloud account balance.

Am I charged for duplicate SMS messages? Are duplicate messages recorded in the system?

You are charged for Domestic SMS messages that receive a successful receipt. You can view message sending records and details. For more information, see Query sending records. Short Message Service has frequency limits for sending messages.

Are inbound SMS messages charged?

Inbound SMS messages are not charged. An inbound SMS message is a message sent by a user to a service provider (SP) to subscribe to a service, make a query, or handle a business request. For more information about billing rules for Short Message Service, see Billing overview.

Can I disable the pay-as-you-go billing method to avoid extra charges after my SMS resource plan expires or is used up?

Short Message Service does not currently support disabling the pay-as-you-go billing method.

You can set an alert for the remaining messages in a resource plan. You will receive an alert notification when the remaining message count reaches the alert threshold. You can also enable automatic renewal for the resource plan.
You can set an alert for the number of sent messages. When the number of sent messages reaches the alert threshold, the system sends you an SMS reminder. When the limit is reached, the system pauses sending SMS messages.

Am I charged for messages with failed receipts or for messages that do not receive a receipt?

You are not charged for messages that receive a failed receipt.
For messages that do not receive a receipt, you are charged first. If the receipt status is "successful" within 72 hours, the charge is final. If the receipt status is "failed" within 72 hours, the SMS fee or message count is returned.

Am I still charged after daily throttling is triggered for Short Message Service?

If you use the same signature and SMS template to send a message to the same mobile phone number and trigger daily throttling, the message fails to send. You are not charged for the failed message.

Why do I see different prices for resource plans on different accounts?

Prices may vary based on account type and promotional activities. The final price of a resource plan is the price displayed on the official Alibaba Cloud website after you log on to your account.