A heads-up on your texting costs, well ahead of time so nothing catches you by surprise.

From 1 October 2026, the carrier fees on some outbound text messages are going up by a tiny amount. This comes from the phone carriers themselves, passed straight through to keep your messages landing reliably.

Here is the plain version of what is changing.

Messages sent to Verizon numbers

If your contact is on the Verizon network in the US, these outbound rates change:

• SMS (long code, short code, toll-free, plus Authy and Verify): moving from $0.0045 to $0.0050 per message
• RCS Rich messages: moving from $0.0045 to $0.0050 per message

Messages sent via 'Other' carriers

For the 'Other' carrier category, the change is even smaller:

• SMS (long code, short code Group B, toll-free, plus Authy and Verify): moving from $0.0040 to $0.0042 per message
• Short Code Group A SMS: no change, staying at $0.0025 per message

What this actually means for you

We are talking fractions of a cent per message. For most people running a normal amount of texting, the difference on your bill will be small. The bigger point is that your messages keep getting delivered without hiccups, because the pricing stays lined up with what the carriers charge.

These adjustments come directly from the downstream carriers, in response to their own delivery and infrastructure costs. Passing them through is what keeps your delivery reliable and your rates honest.

Do you need to do anything?

No. There is nothing to switch on, update, or change. The new rates apply automatically from 1 October 2026.

Now you know it is coming, so when you glance at your usage after that date, it will make sense. Carry on as normal.