While Google does not charge directly for access to the RCS for Business platform, your actual costs will vary depending on the messaging partner (aggregator) and the telecommunications carriers you use. Carriers generally charge fees based on message volume, message type, and location.
To determine how these messages are tracked and charged, the RCS for Business platform uses specific agent billing categories and regional billing models.
Agent Billing Categories When you create an agent, you must select one of two billing categories, which cannot be changed after creation:
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Non-conversational: This category is designed for agents that primarily send one-way messages, such as One-Time Passwords (OTPs), alerts, and tactical promotions. Under this category, you are
billed per message, regardless of whether the user replies.
(Note: The legacy "Basic Message" and "Single Message" categories have been consolidated into this single "Non-conversational" category).- Conversational: This category is meant for back-and-forth exchanges, such as troubleshooting an issue or guiding a customer through a booking. You are billed per conversation, which provides a flat rate for an unlimited number of messages exchanged between the agent and the user within a 24-hour window. The 24-hour session begins when either the user or the agent replies to a message. If the agent sends a message and the user does not reply within 24 hours, the business is simply billed for an individual message.
Regional Billing Models How individual interactions are classified for billing depends on where the messages are being sent:
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Standard Billing Model (Non-US traffic): Charges are determined by the agent's billing category and the size/type of the message. For example, a single interaction is classified as either a
basic_message (text-only, up to 160 characters) or a
single_message (contains rich media or text over 160 characters).
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US Billing Model (US traffic): Messages and user actions are automatically classified strictly by their content, such as a "Rich Message," "Rich Media Message," or "Suggested Action Click". These classifications are then applied to your agent's overall billing category to calculate the correct rate structure.
Because billing reports and invoices are only provided directly to the carriers actively operating RCS for Business, you should reach out directly to your chosen RCS messaging partner to get exact pricing and rate details for your specific campaigns.
