All about tokens

Tokens are Bookem’s currency for sending SMS messages. They are paid for up-front and are not included in your monthly subscription.

Sending SMSs (whether manual or automated) is completely optional. Emails are always free.

How it works

  • SMSs and notifications are optional

  • You decide whether to send them, when to send them, and for which triggers (such as confirmations, cancellations, or reminders)

  • Default notification settings are applied when you first sign up

  • You can change these settings at Settings > Automated messages

  • You can choose to:

    - send messages via email only

    - use SMS as a fallback for certain notifications

How to calculate SMS costs using tokens

  • Token usage is based on the recipient’s mobile provider’s location

  • For example, if someone travels to the US but uses a UK mobile number, the UK rate applies

  • Use the calculator at the top of the Top up page to find token costs

  • Select your currency and destination to see how many tokens are used per SMS

Example costs:

  • SMS to US (in USD): $0.05 per token

  • SMS to South Africa (in ZAR): R0.92 per token

How tokens are used for SMSs

  • 1 SMS = up to 160 standard characters = 1 token

  • Messages longer than 160 characters may use more than 1 token

If you're unsure why your messages are using extra tokens, keep in mind:

  • Variables like #firstname expand based on the value at the time of sending. For example, Max uses fewer characters than Bartholomew

  • Emojis and certain symbols may take more than one character

  • You can test message length in any client ad hoc message - a character and message count appears underneath as you type

Top up tokens

Prevent running out of tokens

Set a low token balance alert to avoid running out unexpectedly

Now you will get a warning, when your tokens are running low

Learn more