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An account below a reseller doesn’t pay for its messages with money. It sends with units, which its reseller gives it. This page explains units for everyone involved: the reseller that gives them, a sub-reseller that passes them on, and the customer that uses them.

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One unit is one message

A unit is one message of one channel and product type: an SMS part, a WhatsApp message, an RCS message, a call minute. Units are kept separately for each channel and product type, such as SMS Transactional, SMS Promotional or WhatsApp Marketing. Units of one kind can’t be used for another. A unit works for any country the account is allowed to send to.

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Who holds what

FireFlo gives a reseller money (its wallet and pockets) and a price list. The reseller sets no prices and no markup. It gives units to the customers directly below it.Units you can still give, per channel and product type, is worked out from the money that pays for that channel, less what the units already given out would cost, divided by the reseller’s own price in its home country. Giving more than that is refused. Giving units moves no money: each message is charged to the reseller when it is sent.What the reseller charges its customers for units is between them.

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When a message is sent

  • It uses one unit of its channel and product type from the account that sent it. A long SMS uses one unit per part, and a call one per started minute.
  • It is charged to the top reseller, the one FireFlo gave money to, at that reseller’s price for the recipient’s country. The sender’s wallet doesn’t move, and nor does a sub-reseller’s.
  • A message the channel refuses gives its unit back, and the money where it was charged.

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When something runs out

  • No units of a kind: that account’s sends of that kind are refused, with the units held and needed. A broadcast pauses and carries on by itself when units arrive. Other kinds carry on.
  • The reseller’s money runs out: sends on that channel pause for every account below it, whatever units they hold. They carry on when money arrives.
  • The reseller’s money no longer covers the units given out: its Customers page warns it. Nothing is taken back.

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Prices never change units

Units are message counts. When FireFlo changes a reseller’s price, every unit balance below it stays as it is. Only what each later message costs the reseller changes.

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SMS below a reseller

Accounts below a reseller send SMS under the reseller’s own account on FireFlo’s SMS gateway, so the gateway charges the reseller at the reseller’s price. An account may also send SMS straight to the gateway over its own SMPP login. That login is switched off when the units of the kind it sends run out. SMS sent over the login is counted from the gateway’s records shortly after it is sent, so a few messages sent just before the login is switched off can take the balance below zero; they are still charged to the reseller. When new units arrive, a new login is made, with a new system ID. Its password has to be reset before it can be used: ask your provider.

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Unit history

Every movement of units is listed, newest first, with the units moved and the balance after: Resellers see it under Unit history on Customers, and for each customer on its Units tab. A customer sees its own under Billing → Unit history.