Billing types
RCS messages are billed by type, including global classifications and formats valid only in the United States. Each billing type is determined by message content, media or suggested actions, and the direction and timing of the conversation between the business and the end user.
Sender-level billing configuration
The billingCategory field is a sender-level setting that controls whether messages sent through the sender are eligible for session-based (conversational) billing. This setting establishes the baseline that the per-message rules (content, media, suggested actions, direction, and timing) are then evaluated against.
| billingCategory value | Description |
|---|---|
NON_CONVERSATIONAL | Messages are billed as standard RCS messages that support a richer messaging experience. Messages sent through this sender are never billed as conversational. |
CONVERSATIONAL | Messages are billed as sessions in which the business and the end user can exchange a series of messages. |
Set or update the billingCategory value through the Create an RCS sender or Update an RCS sender endpoint, or through the Infobip web interface.
Set the billingCategory value before the RCS sender is launched. After the sender is launched, changing the billing category requires contacting your account manager.
Market billing model matrix
RCS billing is market-specific. The following table summarizes the message-based and session-based billing models available in each market.
| Market | Message-based billing | Conversation or session model | Behavior |
|---|---|---|---|
| Global | Basic, Single | A2P Conversation, P2A Conversation | Reply-based 24-hour conversational billing |
| United States | Rich, Rich media | Interactive Session | Criteria-based 24-hour session billing |
Terms used in RCS billing
| Term | Meaning | Where it matters |
|---|---|---|
billingCategory | Sender/agent-level configuration with two values: NON_CONVERSATIONAL and CONVERSATIONAL. | Sender or agent setup |
trafficType | Payload field that exposes the billing state. | Delivery report, inbound message, event, Conversation Started |
interactionType | Message classification. Not the billing category or billing state itself. | Delivery report, inbound message, event |
| Conversation | Global conversational billing construct. | A2P and P2A conversations |
| Session | US billing construct for the Interactive Session. | United States only |
messageCount / rcsCount | Segment counters reported in webhooks. | US Rich and Rich media traffic |