HelpSMS (text messages)Switching on text messages
Switching on text messages
Switching on text messages takes three short steps, and you pay only at the end. Until your first pack is paid, nothing changes for your visitors.
Only the owner can do this, on a paid package. A business uses one channel at a time, WhatsApp or text messages. See WhatsApp or text messages: one channel.
Text messages are not open in any country yet. Until we open a country, texts cannot be switched on. If you try, the app says This add-on isn't available for your business right now. and nothing is charged. This page describes the steps as they will work once a country opens.
What it is
Switching on is a short guided set-up on the Text messages card in Billing. You choose where your visitors’ phones are, the name that starts every text, and the most you are willing to spend each month. Then you read the rules, tick a permission box, and pay for the first pack.
- 11 · CountriesPick the zone for your visitors
- 22 · Name for textsThe name visitors see
- 33 · Limit and payMonthly limit, rules, pay
How to check it in turnda
- Open Billing and find the Visitor updates card at the top of the add-ons. It has three tiles: Off, WhatsApp, Text messages (SMS). On the Free package the card is greyed out and says why.
- Press Switch on text messages. If you use WhatsApp today, it is Switch to text messages and WhatsApp stays on until your first pack is paid.
- Work through Step 1, Step 2 and Step 3. A strip at the top shows where you are. Each Next button says what comes next.
- When it is on, the Text messages card shows Texts left, Packs and Next pack bought. The pill at the top of the card says the texts are on.
A real example
Ana’s bakery in Lisbon sees about 40 visitors a day. She opens Billing and presses Switch on text messages. In step 1 she picks the zone that includes Portugal. In step 2 she keeps her business name, “Ana’s Bakery”. In step 3 she types 40 visitors a day, sees an estimate of a few packs a month, and chooses a limit of 3. She reads the rules box, ticks the permission box, and presses Pay. The screen says Text messages are on. and her visitors now see Get text updates.
What happens in the system
- 1You choose a zoneCovers your countries
- 2You set the nameOr keep your business name
- 3You set a limitMost packs a month
- 4You pay pack 1Prepaid
- 5Texts go liveWhatsApp turns off
- 6Next pack bought for youWhen the texts run low
Step 1: your zone
| What you see | What it means |
|---|---|
| Zone tiles, named SMS 1 to SMS 4 | Each zone is a group of countries with one price per pack. A zone also covers every cheaper zone below it. |
| A sketch of the world with a key, and a search box | The sketch shows what each zone reaches. Type a country in the search box to see its zone and price. WhatsApp uses the same picker with the same tiles. |
| Covers your location or Covers all your locations | The zone includes the country of your locations. |
| A warning: SMS 1 does not cover a place | Visitors with a number there would not be offered texts. Choose a higher zone, or run that location as its own turnda account. To go on, tick I understand. |
| Countries on request and Not supported | See Countries for text messages. |
Step 3: the limit and the rules
| What you see | What it means |
|---|---|
| Box for visitors a day | Type about how many visitors you see a day to get an estimate. A shop with a full month of history sees its real figures. |
| Your monthly limit | The most packs turnda may buy for you in one billing month. There is no default: you decide. |
| Four things to know | What is charged now; when the next pack is bought (automatically, when 10% of your texts are left); the most you can pay in a month; and what happens when the last allowed pack runs low. |
| The SMS rules — read before you pay | Eight short rules: what you pay now, what is charged later, what a text is, when you run out, what stays yours, refunds, a charge you do not recognise, and prices. |
| A permission box | Your agreement for turnda to buy new packs on your card, up to your limit. The pay button is greyed out, and says why, until you tick it. |
After you press Pay
| What the screen says | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Paying… | The payment is going through. | Wait. Do not close the page. |
| Text messages are on. | Paid. You are told the amount and that the invoice was emailed. | Nothing else to do. |
| Your bank wants you to confirm this payment | Your bank needs a tap from you. Nothing is charged until you confirm. | Open the bank window, or the link in the email we just sent. |
| Your card was declined | Nothing was charged and texts are not on yet. WhatsApp, if you use it, stays on. You see Update card and Pay again. | Update the card (the new card is charged straight away), press Pay again to retry, or ask your bank. |
| Our payment service can’t be reached | Nothing was charged. | Wait a minute and try again. You cannot be charged twice. |
| We’re checking with the payment service | It is not clear yet whether the payment went through. | Do not pay again. If it did, texts switch on by themselves. |
What you need to do
- Check the countries where your visitors’ phones are, before you pay. Use the countries page.
- Choose a limit you are comfortable paying every month. It is the most you can be charged in a billing month.
- Tick the permission box and pay. The card on file is used, and the invoice is emailed.
- Look at the card a few days later. Check Texts left and the by-country table.
You can change your mind about the set-up On the Text messages card, Change zone, Change monthly limit and Change the name on texts let you change this later. Changing zone never charges anything, and the next pack is bought in the new zone. If you press Switch off text messages and confirm, your unused texts are kept and nothing is refunded. While a zone change waits for your next pack, the card keeps showing its four number boxes.
What turnda does not cover
- Your bank. A bank can decline or ask you to confirm a payment. We cannot change that.
- Different channels in different locations. A business uses WhatsApp or text messages for all its locations. To run a location differently, run it as its own paid turnda account.
- Delivery. Once a text leaves turnda, it is up to the mobile network and the visitor’s phone.
- Free packages. The Free package cannot switch texts on. Choose a package first.
Common questions
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Can a manager switch texts on? | No. A manager has no Billing page. Only the owner switches it on. |
| What happens to WhatsApp? | It stays on until your first text pack is paid. Then it turns off, and your unused WhatsApp messages are kept in case you switch back. |
| Is a pack charged every month? | No. A pack is bought when you start, and again when only 10% of your texts are left, up to your limit. |
| What if I never reach my limit? | Then you pay only for the packs you used. |
| Is the price shown with tax? | Tax, where it applies, is shown on each invoice. |
| What does the card statement say? | TURNDA SMS PACK. |