What should SMS terms and conditions include for 10DLC?

SMS terms are the rules of your text program, written down on your website. They tell people who is texting them, what kind of messages to expect, how often, what it might cost, and how to get help or stop. Reviewers compare your terms to your opt-in form and sample messages. Plivo says the terms page should restate the same disclosures shown in your call-to-action.

What goes in SMS terms?

Bandwidth says opt-out language must include at least one of END, STOP, UNSUBSCRIBE, or CANCEL.

What does sample SMS terms language look like?

Sample language, not legal advice. Adapt it to your business.

SMS Terms

Program: [Brand Name] Text Messages, operated by [Legal Business Name]
doing business as [DBA Name].

What you will get: By opting in, you agree to receive text messages from
[Brand Name] about [appointment reminders, service updates, and offers]
at the mobile number you provided.

Frequency: Message frequency varies.

Cost: Message and data rates may apply.

Help: Reply HELP for help, or contact us at [email] or [phone].

Opt out: Reply STOP to any message to cancel. You will get one final
message confirming you are unsubscribed.

Consent is not a condition of purchase.

Carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages. (Optional.)

Privacy: See our Privacy Policy at [https://yourdomain.com/privacy].

Where should the terms page live?

Twilio's collect business info guide is specific:

1. Public, with no login and no download.
2. On the same domain as your business website.
3. No redirect to an external domain.
4. Twilio error 30934 adds that the URL must use https and be relevant to the business.

Vonage says terms and privacy pages must be live. Telnyx says the terms link on your form should be a real link, not a pop-up.

Can SMS consent be buried in my general terms?

No. Twilio error 30882 says consent can't be buried in general terms and conditions. CTIA 5.1.1 also says opt-in details should not be buried in terms. Your terms page describes the program, but the actual consent needs its own checkbox and disclosure on the form. See the opt-in form requirement.

What are common SMS terms mistakes?

1. No terms page at all. Bandwidth lists missing terms as a rejection reason.
2. Generic website terms with no SMS section. No frequency, rates, HELP, or STOP.
3. Wrong brand name. Terms name your software vendor or a parent company instead of the brand you registered.
4. Missing DBA. Vonage says terms must include all brand names, including DBA.
5. Terms on another domain or a document download. Twilio rejects this.
6. Affiliate or lead-sharing language. Twilio 30882 says affiliate marketing and third-party lead generation are forbidden.
7. Pop-up terms. Telnyx lists pop-up terms links as a common decline.

How does 10DLC Site handle it?

Each site includes a terms page on your own .com, served over https, with an SMS section that names your brand, describes your messages, and covers frequency, rates, HELP, STOP, and a link to your privacy policy. You get the exact terms URL to paste into your provider's form. Compliance Watch checks daily that the SMS terms are still live.

Sources

• CTIA Messaging Principles and Best Practices (May 2023)
• Twilio: Collect business information for A2P 10DLC
• Twilio error 30882
• Twilio error 30934
• Telnyx 10DLC Campaign Compliance Guide
• Bandwidth: 10DLC campaign vetting tips and tricks
• Bandwidth: New requirements for 10DLC vetting
• Vonage 10DLC Campaign requirements
• Plivo A2P 10DLC registration guidelines

Not sure your terms cover everything? Check your site free, or see pricing for a site with SMS terms built in.