Frequently Asked Questions

Below is a list of answers to frequently asked questions. To jump to specific topics, use the Section Links on the left of this page.

Before I register, what will it cost me monthly?

There are no monthly subscription fees, registration is free which includes 10 free test credits.

1 SMS credit = 1 SMS message for sending a 160 character message to local networks. International rates vary from country to country.

When you are ready to start using WinSMS, all you need to do is purchase SMS credits which can be used over an extended period of 12 months. This period may be extend on a case-by-case basis.

How do I purchase more credits?

To top-up your credit balance login to the client zone here and click on "Purchase Credits" where you will be able to print out an invoice for EFT and direct deposits, or make payment by credit card.

Please use your account number as your payment reference to avoid delays in processing your credits.

Credits are only processed once your payment reflects in our bank account. We have bank accounts with FNB, ABSA, Standard and Nedbank, so if you pay by EFT choose the same bank if you can to ensure that your payment reflects as soon as possible.

Credits are processed Monday to Friday during office hours. Payments made on weekends or public holidays will be processed on the next working day.

If you need to purchase credits after hours or on weekends please use the credit card payment option. If the credit card option is not available for your account, please contact support and request that it be enabled.

Can I use more than 160 characters in one message?

Yes, with version 3.2x you can send messages up to 459 characters long.

Click here for more information.

Is it possible for customers to reply to a message?

Yes you can have your replies sent to your registered email address or cell number.

These settings are found under "My Profile" in the client zone.

How many messages can I send in one go using the desktop software?

There is no limit to the number of messages one can send in a batch. The speed of your computer and internet connection will influence overall performance - the faster your internet connection is, the faster you'll be able to upload larger batches of messages..

If you experience timeouts while sending large batches, decrease the "Send Batch Size" under File > Preferences > Advanced.

Can I schedule messages to be sent at a later time, and can I cancel scheduled messages without loosing those credits?

SMS messages can be sent to the SMS gateway with a scheduled date and time, they will remain on the gateway until such time and then they will be sent.

To delete scheduled messages that were sent, select the messages under the "Scheduled" tab and press delete.

You can also delete scheduled messages by going to to "Logs" then "Scheduled Messages " in the client zone where you can delete individual or all scheduled messages.

The credits will be automatically transferred back into your account.

I can’t remember what my login name and password is.

Your login name is normally your e-mail address and your password can be sent to your cell from the login page.

How do I change my password?

Using the desktop software you can click on File, Change Password, or you can login to the client zone and go to "My Profile".

How do I create sub accounts?

Login to the client zone and go to "Sub Accounts" where you will be able to add sub accounts as well as transfer credits between sub accounts.

How do I delete sub-accounts?

Login to the client zone and go to "Sub Accounts" then "Maintain Sub Accounts".

Can I send SMS’s to international numbers?

Yes you can, click here to download a list of countries that you can send to. The list also shows how many credits it will cost to send a 160 character message to a cell number in that country.

When adding international contacts to the WinSMS desktop application, you will be able choose the country from a drop down list, this will automatically insert the correct country code in front of the number you are about to enter.

If the number for an international contact is 0944123456 for example, when you choose UK from the country list, it will automatically insert the country code "44", you then just need to enter the remaining part of the number which in this case would be 123456. The "09" in 0944123456 must not be entered since it is only required when dialling the number from a phone.

What is the difference between SENT and DELIVERED?

SENT means the message has been submitted to the cellular network for immediate delivery.

DELIVERED means the message was delivered to the recipients cell phone.

If a message status remains as SENT, it means that the WinSMS gateway never received a delivery report from the network operator for that message.

The networks do not guarantee delivery reports and they even sometimes turn them off or delay them during periods of network congestion.

It could also mean that there is a delay in delivering the message to the cell phone. For example, if the recipient has his/her cell phone off, the message will remain on the network (with status sent) until the recipient turns their cell phone on, or until the message expires which is normally after 72 hours.

In most cases however, if the status does not change to FAILED but remains as SENT, one can safely assume that the message was delivered to the cell phone.

How do I automatically add a footnote or footer to each message I send?

To set up your footers open the desktop software and go to File > Preferences > Footers. More than one footer can be set up, to change the default footer move it to the top of the list.

How do I create templates for messages I send over and over?

Open the desktop software and click on File, Preferences, Templates.

To use a template click on the template button while typing a message.

Where can I print out a report of all the messages i have sent?

Export your SMS log to a CSV (Excel) file which you can then open in Excel and print out. To do this click on File > Export > Logs.

You can also login to the client zone and go to "View Logs" where you can download the log as a CSV file.

When I try to go online I get the following error message:

"Unable to connect to server. Please verify internet connection and proxy settings"

Click on File, Preferences, Proxy Server and enter the same proxy settings used by your internet browser.

For step by step instructions please refer to Error Codes.