# will I get charged extra for receiving/sending a text to an international number?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-i-get-charged-extra-for-receiving-sending-a-text-to-an-international-number/579192
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [April 21, 2011, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-i-get-charged-extra-for-receiving-sending-a-text-to-an-international-number/579192 "2011-04-21T06:52:26Z")
**Posts on this page:** 14
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)
#### Post date: [April 21, 2011, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-i-get-charged-extra-for-receiving-sending-a-text-to-an-international-number/579192/1 "2011-04-21T06:52:26Z")
I have AT&T with an unlimited texting plan.
I got a text from a friend in Japan. Will I get charged extra for that, and will I be charged extra for texting him back at his number?
Sorry, just easier to ask here than to call customer service. I know you might not be able to give me a definitive answer, but thanks for the help you can offer.
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### Author:  [@Moonlitherial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonlitherial)
#### Post date: [April 21, 2011, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-i-get-charged-extra-for-receiving-sending-a-text-to-an-international-number/579192/2 "2011-04-21T14:01:02Z")
Probably.
I’m in Canada and I have an unlimited texting plan and I had to get an additional plan for the texts I was exchanging with a US friend.
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### Author:  [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)
#### Post date: [April 21, 2011, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-i-get-charged-extra-for-receiving-sending-a-text-to-an-international-number/579192/3 "2011-04-21T20:10:05Z")
Sending and receiving texts to/from Cameroon will typically cost $1.00.
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### Author:  [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)
#### Post date: [April 21, 2011, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-i-get-charged-extra-for-receiving-sending-a-text-to-an-international-number/579192/4 "2011-04-21T20:20:42Z")
I guess the question is then how do you prevent someone from overseas spamming you with texts maliciously to cost you money? I guess it would cost them a dollar too, so that would be the only disincentive?
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### Author:  [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)
#### Post date: [April 21, 2011, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-i-get-charged-extra-for-receiving-sending-a-text-to-an-international-number/579192/5 "2011-04-21T20:23:55Z")
> [@Aeschines](#):
>
> I guess the question is then how do you prevent someone from overseas spamming you with texts maliciously to cost you money? I guess it would cost them a dollar too, so that would be the only disincentive?
How can you be charged for receiving a text message?
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### Author:  [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)
#### Post date: [April 21, 2011, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-i-get-charged-extra-for-receiving-sending-a-text-to-an-international-number/579192/6 "2011-04-21T20:50:03Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#):
>
> How can you be charged for receiving a text message?
At least in the US, it’s perfectly normal to be charged to receive a text message. Some plans with some providers have unlimited 2-way text messages for a fixed montlhy price. Others don’t.
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### Author:  [@Hbns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hbns)
#### Post date: [April 21, 2011, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-i-get-charged-extra-for-receiving-sending-a-text-to-an-international-number/579192/7 "2011-04-21T20:57:28Z")
If the OP is interested, I use [text’em](http://www.textem.net/) all the time from Germany to text friends back in the States. No charge to use it, and the person receiving the text only gets charged local rates (if any would apply). It isn’t perfect though. Can be a bit flaky, limits you to 155 characters, and thwart bot spammers you have to answer a captcha type prompt each time you send a text.
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### Author:  [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)
#### Post date: [April 21, 2011, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-i-get-charged-extra-for-receiving-sending-a-text-to-an-international-number/579192/8 "2011-04-21T20:57:56Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#):
>
> At least in the US, it’s perfectly normal to be charged to receive a text message. Some plans with some providers have unlimited 2-way text messages for a fixed montlhy price. Others don’t.
Oh, right, didn’t know that. Bloody hell, that could be really, really annoying! Someone else’s action incurs a cost to me. :dubious:
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### Author:  [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)
#### Post date: [April 21, 2011, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-i-get-charged-extra-for-receiving-sending-a-text-to-an-international-number/579192/9 "2011-04-21T21:53:32Z")
> [@Hbns](#):
>
> If the OP is interested, I use [text’em](http://www.textem.net/) all the time from Germany to text friends back in the States. No charge to use it, and the person receiving the text only gets charged local rates (if any would apply). It isn’t perfect though. Can be a bit flaky, limits you to 155 characters, and thwart bot spammers you have to answer a captcha type prompt each time you send a text.
If you have a Gmail account, you can also use that. Or, at least, I use it for free texting while within the States…
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### Author:  [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)
#### Post date: [April 21, 2011, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-i-get-charged-extra-for-receiving-sending-a-text-to-an-international-number/579192/10 "2011-04-21T22:19:36Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#):
>
> Oh, right, didn’t know that. Bloody hell, that could be really, really annoying! Someone else’s action incurs a cost to me. :dubious:
Our voice calls work the same way. The receiving mobile pays for every incoming call. Nowadays almost everybody has unlimited voice minutes but for the last 20+ years it wasn’t that way. So you had to monitor calls coming from clueless elderly relatives & such since they had no idea they were running up your bill. The good news is telemarketing to mobile phones is thoroughly illegal.
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### Author:  [@Hbns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hbns)
#### Post date: [April 21, 2011, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-i-get-charged-extra-for-receiving-sending-a-text-to-an-international-number/579192/11 "2011-04-21T22:24:13Z")
> [@BigT](#):
>
> If you have a Gmail account, you can also use that. Or, at least, I use it for free texting while within the States…
Currently?
I tried about a year ago and the sms text service was gone from Gmail chat.
Maybe it has been added back in?
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### Author:  [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2011, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-i-get-charged-extra-for-receiving-sending-a-text-to-an-international-number/579192/12 "2011-04-22T00:41:40Z")
hmm, I’m pretty sure you have to sign up for the interational plan for the texting to be free at AT&T. By the way, did I mention I had US carriers?
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### Author:  [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2011, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-i-get-charged-extra-for-receiving-sending-a-text-to-an-international-number/579192/13 "2011-04-22T02:13:38Z")
With AT&T I receive(d) texts from Mexico. They cost me the same to receive as a US text, although obviously they cost more for me to send back. There’s no cost difference for receiving texts; the sender pays for the increased cost of delivery (you know, that exorbitant cost that there is to the poor carriers). I no longer receive texts after being spammed, so I use Google Voice, which _does_ work with SMS quite excellently.
As for being charged minutes for receiving calls while in the States, I totally approve. Usage is usage. In some other countries (like Mexico) they have all of these stupid dialing codes for cellular versus landlines, and it’s a pain in the butt. In the States, all destinations are equal. If you regularly receive calls, then budget for them. As was pointed out above, telemarketing to cell phones is not legal.
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### Author:  [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2011, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-i-get-charged-extra-for-receiving-sending-a-text-to-an-international-number/579192/14 "2011-04-22T14:20:16Z")
Not exactly what the OP was asking but a data point nevertheless.
I have unlimited texting inside the US from Sprint. A text was sent from a phone on my account while the phone was in the US and was received by a different phone on my account while that phone was in Mexico. The receiving sub-account paid a $0.15 extra international roaming charge. The sending sub-account had no extra charge.