myCred SMS Payments

Every SMS reply is a cost you pay Twilio

Letting your users send points from their phone sounds convenient. What you do not see while setting it up is who pays for each message coming back: the confirmation, the balance, the cancellation.

In a points-by-SMS system, every automatic reply has a cost for the site, so choosing which replies you send is also a budget decision. Each reply is limited to 160 characters and is paid to Twilio, so every reply you turn on turns into spending.

myCred SMS Payments, also called SMS Payments Twilio Transfers, is a myCred add-on that lets users check their points balance or transfer points by sending text messages. It works like the Transfers add-on, which is used with a shortcode on the website, but by SMS.

What users can do by message

• Transfer points to another user by sending an SMS.
• Check the balance of points with another message.
• Transfer confirmation: optional, sent to the sender.
• Cancellation: optional, within a time margin you set in seconds; zero turns it off.
• Transfer limits: optionally the Transfers add-on's limit is applied.

From the settings you choose how the recipient is identified in the message, with the default options of ID, username or email, and how the actions are identified, such as transferring or canceling. You also define the myCred log templates for transfers and cancellations, and customize the text of each reply.

Where each user's number comes from

The add-on needs to know which phone belongs to which user. In the settings you enter the meta key where you store the numbers, which can be a WordPress user field or the name of a BuddyPress extra profile field. The numbers must be stored in the right format: a + sign, the country code and the full number, with no dashes or spaces.

Test this point before opening the service: two test users with valid numbers and a transfer between them. How it behaves with your real base depends on how you collect phone numbers today.

1. Check that phones have the international format and enter their key in the add-on.
2. Create two test users with a balance.
3. Send an SMS transfer from one to the other and check the points log.

What is left for you to solve

The add-on handles transfers and balance checks by SMS. Among its functions there is no text that explains to users how to use the service: the words for each action and the message format are for you to communicate, on your site or by email.

• The cost of each reply SMS is charged by Twilio to your account.
• A problem with the Twilio account is solved with Twilio, not with the add-on.

Connecting to Twilio and getting started

You need a Twilio account with a verified number able to send and receive messages, and myCred installed on the site.

1. Activate the add-on and open myCred, Settings, SMS Payments.
2. Enter your Twilio account ID and the number users will text.
3. Enter the key where phones are stored and how the recipient and the actions are identified.
4. Decide on the transfer limit, the cancellation time and the log templates.
5. Write the SMS replies and save with the update settings button.
6. In the Twilio number, open the messaging settings and paste the address the add-on shows, with the GET method.

myCred add-ons to compare

The catalog includes other myCred add-ons, among them myCred Transfer Plus, myCred Notifications Plus and myCred Pending Points.

Questions about SMS transfers

What do I need in Twilio?

An account with a verified number suitable for messaging, and to set in that number the notification address the add-on generates, with the GET method.

How is the recipient identified?

You choose: by default the ID, username or email can be used.

Can transfers be canceled?

Yes, optionally. You set the seconds available to cancel, and with zero cancellation is turned off.