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RCS Message Price in India — How RCS Pricing Works

RCS is billed per message, and the category decides the rate: transactional messages cost less than promotional rich cards. See the indicative rates SMSGatewayHub publishes, what moves your price and how to get a quote for your volume.

Per-message billingTransactional & promotional tiersSMS fallback billed on deliveryNo setup fee
Get Your PriceStart Free Trial
~₹0.11Indicative transactional rate
~₹0.30Indicative promotional rate
2Clear billing tiers
Pay As You GoNo setup fee

Quick Answer

In India, RCS Business Messaging is charged per message by category. Under the rate card SMSGatewayHub published for 1 September 2026, a transactional RCS message (OTP, order or delivery update) costs approximately ₹0.11 and a promotional RCS message (offers, rich cards, carousels) approximately ₹0.30, plus GST. Conversational flows are quoted on request. These are indicative figures: your exact rate depends on operator, message richness and monthly volume and is confirmed on your account.

RCS message price in India: the current rate card

RCS billing splits by message category instead of a single blended range. This is what determines your rate on every send.

CategoryTypical useIndicative rate (+ GST)
TransactionalOTPs, order confirmations, delivery updates, account alertsApprox. ₹0.11 per message
PromotionalOffers, campaigns, rich cards, carousels and CTA buttonsApprox. ₹0.30 per message
ConversationalGuided support flows and multi-step bot sessionsQuote-based: contact sales

Rates are indicative retail figures effective 1 September 2026 and can vary by operator (Jio, Airtel, Vi), message richness and monthly volume. Your billed rate is confirmed on your account dashboard. Background on the change is on the RCS pricing hike September 2026 page.

How RCS billing works

Per message, not per campaign. Each RCS message delivered to an RCS-capable handset is billed at the rate for its category. There is no setup fee to start with SMSGatewayHub; you buy Pay As You Go credits and track RCS and fallback spend in one wallet.

Basic versus rich content. A plain text RCS message from your verified agent is the lightest send. Rich cards with images, carousels and suggested-reply buttons use more bandwidth and are normally sent as promotional messages, so they sit in the higher tier. Keeping transactional templates simple keeps them in the lower tier.

SMS fallback. Not every phone supports RCS. When a handset or network cannot receive it, the message falls back to SMS automatically. The fallback is billed as an SMS, at your SMS rate, and only when the SMS is delivered, so you never pay an RCS rate for a non-RCS delivery.

GST. All rates are exclusive of GST, which is added to your invoice.

What changes your RCS cost?

Message category

Transactional and promotional messages bill at different rates, so tag each template correctly.

Message richness

Plain text costs less to deliver than rich cards with images or multi-card carousels.

Monthly volume

Higher committed volumes can bring a better rate. Share your forecast when you ask for a quote.

Operator mix

Rates can vary by operator, since carrier-level RCS costs differ across Jio, Airtel and Vi.

Fallback share

Users without RCS receive SMS, billed at SMS rates, so your blended cost depends on how many fall back.

Send timing

Promotional agents can start conversations only between 7 AM and 10 PM, which shapes campaign planning.

Compare channels

RCS vs SMS vs WhatsApp: cost per message in India

All three channels changed in 2026. This like-for-like view helps you plan a blended mix.

ChannelApprox. cost per messageWhere it wins
Bulk SMSLowest cost per message: see SMS pricingReaches every phone on every network
RCS, transactional~₹0.11 + GSTVerified branding at near-SMS cost
RCS, promotional~₹0.30 + GSTRich media and carousels in the native inbox
WhatsApp, utility or authentication₹0.1150 + GST (Meta rate)Familiar app, two-way service window
WhatsApp, marketing₹0.8631 + GST (Meta rate)High engagement with opted-in users

WhatsApp rates are Meta's India rates as shown on our WhatsApp pricing page; check it for the latest changes.

RCS use cases by industry and how they are billed

IndustryExample messageCategory
Banks & fintechLogin OTP or transaction alert from a verified bank agentTransactional
E-commerceOrder shipped card with a Track order buttonTransactional
E-commerce & retailFestival sale carousel with five products and Buy now buttonsPromotional
Travel & hotelsBooking confirmation with a check-in buttonTransactional
EducationAdmission open rich card with an Apply buttonPromotional
AutomobileTest-drive or service-camp invitation with slot buttonsPromotional

Worked example using the indicative rates: 10,000 transactional RCS messages delivered as RCS cost about ₹1,100 + GST; any messages that fall back are billed as delivered SMS. See all RCS formats on RCS messaging solutions in India.

How to get your RCS price

  1. Share your use case

    Tell us your categories, message formats and monthly volume through the contact page.

  2. Receive your rate

    We confirm transactional, promotional and any conversational rates for your volume.

  3. Verify your agent

    Register your brand agent with name, logo and colours for verification before launch.

  4. Build templates

    Create text, rich card and carousel templates, plus DLT-registered SMS fallback text.

  5. Test and launch

    Create a free account, test on your own phones and go live.

Cost-control and compliance checklist

  • Tag every RCS template as transactional or promotional so it bills at the right rate.
  • Keep transactional templates lightweight instead of using rich cards.
  • Reserve carousels for high-intent moments such as cart recovery and launches.
  • Enable automatic SMS fallback and register the fallback text on DLT under TRAI rules.
  • Send promotional RCS only between 7 AM and 10 PM and respect opt-outs.
  • Set separate monthly budgets for transactional and promotional spend.

Related Services & Guides

RCS Messaging in India →

Verified, rich and interactive messages.

RCS Pricing Hike 2026 →

What changed from 1 September.

WhatsApp Pricing →

Meta rates by message category.

Bulk SMS Pricing →

Pay As You Go SMS rates.

SMS Cost Calculator →

Estimate your SMS fallback cost.

SMS Gateway India →

APIs, routes and DLT compliance.

Frequently Asked Questions

Under the rate card SMSGatewayHub published for 1 September 2026, transactional RCS messages cost approximately ₹0.11 and promotional RCS messages approximately ₹0.30 per message, plus GST. Conversational use cases are quoted on request, and your exact rate is confirmed on your account.

RCS is charged per message by category. Each message delivered as RCS is billed at the transactional or promotional rate, while multi-step conversational flows are priced on a quote basis.

Rich cards and carousels carry images and buttons and are normally used for marketing, so they fall in the promotional tier. Plain transactional messages are lighter and bill at the lower rate.

No RCS charge applies to a message that falls back. It is billed as an SMS at your SMS rate, and only when the SMS is delivered.

For transactional use, RCS at about ₹0.11 is close to Meta's WhatsApp utility and authentication rate of ₹0.1150. For promotions, RCS at about ₹0.30 is lower than WhatsApp marketing at ₹0.8631. All figures exclude GST.

Share your use case, message formats and monthly volume with our sales team through the contact page or on 1800 102 1822. We confirm your rates before you launch.

Get your RCS price for your volume

Tell us your use case and monthly volume and we will confirm your transactional, promotional and conversational rates.

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