Sending SMS to Customers
Passtastic can reach your customers two ways: wallet push (free, unlimited) and SMS (a paid text to their phone). This guide covers SMS — when to use it, what it costs, and how to switch it on.
SMS vs. push notifications
- Push notifications are free and unlimited. They appear on the lock screen of anyone who keeps your card in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet. This is your default channel — see Sending Messages.
- SMS is a text message to the customer's phone number. It reaches people who aren't checking their wallet, but unlike push it has a per-message cost. Use it for the moments that matter most — a win-back, an important reminder.
Prepaid credits
SMS runs on prepaid credits. Credits are charged per message part: most texts are a single part (1 credit), but a long message — or one using emoji or accented/special characters — can split into more parts and cost more. See Understanding SMS Credit Costs for the full breakdown. You buy a balance up front and each part you send draws one credit — no subscription, no monthly commitment. When you're low, you top up.
The per-text price depends on your billing currency. You'll see the current rate on the pricing page and again when you set SMS up, before you buy.
Where SMS reaches
SMS delivery currently covers Europe and the UK. If a customer's number is outside that area, they're simply skipped for SMS (you're not charged for them) — they still get your free wallet push as normal.
The country you name during setup only affects whether you can buy credits — it doesn't limit who you can text. Once you're set up, you can send to customers in any of the countries above, not just the one you picked.
Turning SMS on
1. Open Settings and find SMS.
2. Answer "Where are most of your customers?" and tap Continue. This checks that we can deliver texts to that country before you're able to buy credits — see Understanding SMS Credit Costs for what happens if we can't reach it yet.
3. Finish the rest of setup: pick a sender name, then verify your phone with a quick test text.
4. Once setup is complete, buy credits and choose how many.
5. SMS becomes available as a channel when you send a message or campaign.
Who receives an SMS
A customer gets an SMS only when both are true: they gave you a phone number and they opted in to SMS. Customers opt in when they add your card (on the sign-up screen). They can stop any time by replying STOP — standard for text messaging, and handled for you automatically.