Dedicated SMS Short Codes

Your organisation's own New Zealand SMS number

Give customers one consistent six-digit number for sending and receiving business SMS across New Zealand mobile networks.

Exclusive business number

A short code reserved for your organisation

A dedicated short code is not shared with another business. Customers see the same recognisable sender when you contact them and can text the code directly when they need to start a conversation.

Discuss a short code Compare ways to receive SMS

Why use a dedicated short code?

Exclusive to your organisation

The number is assigned to one account, avoiding the keyword requirement of a shared short code.

Customers can text first

Use the code for inbound enquiries, registrations, confirmations, campaign responses, and support.

Send and receive on one number

Use the same consistent sender for outbound messages and incoming customer responses.

How a dedicated short code works

1

We provision your code

SMS4U arranges a six-digit New Zealand short code reserved for your account.

2

You choose your workflows

Send from the web dashboard, email, or API and select how incoming messages should be delivered.

3

Customers use one number

Recipients see your short code on outbound messages and can text it directly when they need to respond.

Choose the inbound charging model

Both options provide an exclusive short code. The difference is who pays when a customer sends an incoming text.

Standard short code

Customer pays to text

$89 / month
  • $300 one-off setup
  • 10c per SMS part sent to New Zealand mobiles
  • No SMS4U inbound message charge
  • The sender pays the mobile operator's inbound short-code charge
Request a standard code
Free-to-text short code

Your organisation pays inbound

$89 / month
  • $300 one-off setup
  • 10c per SMS part sent to New Zealand mobiles
  • 10c per received SMS part charged to your account
  • The customer can text the code without an inbound mobile charge
Request a free-to-text code

Pricing is in New Zealand Dollars and excludes GST. Short-code provisioning and campaign requirements are confirmed during setup.

Use the workflow that suits your team

Web dashboard

Send messages, manage contacts, review delivery reporting, and handle replies online.

View Web SMS

Email

Send SMS from an authorised inbox and have customer responses forwarded back to email.

View Email to SMS

System integration

Send through the SMS API and deliver incoming messages to your systems using webhooks.

View SMS APIs

Common dedicated short-code uses

Customer serviceGive customers a stable number for questions, requests, and ongoing support conversations.
Marketing campaignsRun branded promotions and response campaigns without sharing a short code or relying on a keyword.
Appointments and bookingsLet customers confirm, cancel, or request changes by replying to reminders.
Operational alertsSend important staff or community notifications and capture acknowledgements or status updates.

Dedicated short-code FAQ

What is a dedicated SMS short code?

A dedicated short code is a six-digit New Zealand SMS number reserved for one organisation. It can be used to send messages and receive customer replies without sharing the number with another business.

Can customers text a dedicated short code first?

Yes. Customers can initiate a conversation by texting your dedicated short code, making it suitable for support, registrations, alerts, campaigns, and other inbound SMS services.

What is the difference between a standard and free-to-text short code?

With a standard short code, the mobile sender pays the normal inbound short-code charge. With a free-to-text short code, your organisation pays for the received message so the sender is not charged for texting the code.

How are incoming messages delivered?

Received SMS messages can be viewed in the SMS4U dashboard, forwarded to email, or delivered to your systems through a webhook.

How can we send from the short code?

You can send from the SMS4U web platform, an authorised email address, or your own software through the SMS API.

Arrange your New Zealand short code

Tell us how customers will use the number and whether you need a standard or free-to-text service. We will confirm provisioning and campaign requirements.

Contact SMS4U Compare keyword campaigns