Online purchase
[Bank]: Online purchase of [Amount] at [Merchant] with your card ending [1234] on [Date]. Not you? Call [Phone] to block your card.
1 SMS segments · GSM-7 · 119 characters
SMSTransactionalBanking and finance · Account and status alert
Card transaction alert SMS template (transactional)
Send it within seconds of every card transaction. Customers see exactly what was charged and where, and the hotline number lets them block the card at once if the payment was not theirs.
Preview
Your brand
[Bank]: Your card ending [1234] was used for [Amount] at [Merchant] on [Date] [Time]. Not you? Call [Phone] now to block your card.
Variables are highlighted. Replace them with your own values before sending.
[Bank]: Your card ending [1234] was used for [Amount] at [Merchant] on [Date] [Time]. Not you? Call [Phone] now to block your card.
117 characters in GSM-7, which is 1 SMS segment(s). GSM-7 fits 160 characters in a single SMS, or 153 per segment when the message is split. Counts treat each [Placeholder] as text of similar length; check the final message once your real values are in.
Variables explained
What to put in each variable, with an example value.
| Variable | What it is | Example |
|---|---|---|
[Bank] | Bank name or registered sender ID | Gulf First Bank |
[1234] | Last four digits of the card; never send the full card number | 4821 |
[Amount] | Transaction amount with currency | AED 245.50 |
[Merchant] | Merchant name as received from the card network | Carrefour Mall of the Emirates |
[Date] | Transaction date | 12/10 |
[Time] | Transaction time, 24-hour format keeps it short | 18:42 |
[Phone] | 24/7 card hotline | 800 4321 |
Category and compliance notes
Transactional SMS: it must relate to something the customer did or owns. Keep it free of offers and promotional links, or operators may filter it as promotional traffic and apply quiet hours.
Promotional sending hours differ by country, and some regulators also set Ramadan hours.Sender ID rules by countryPlan the send time
Variations
Alternative versions of the same message, following the same channel rules.
With available limit
[Bank]: Card ending [1234] used for [Amount] at [Merchant]. Available limit: [Balance]. Not you? Call [Phone].
1 SMS segments · GSM-7 · 98 characters
ATM withdrawal
[Bank]: [Amount] was withdrawn with your card ending [1234] at [ATM location] on [Date] [Time]. Not you? Call [Phone].
1 SMS segments · GSM-7 · 104 characters
How to use this template
- 1
Copy the text
Copy the message and keep the brand name at the start so the recipient knows who is writing.
- 2
Replace the placeholders
Map each [Placeholder] to a field in your contact list or system, keeping the message short.
- 3
Check length and encoding
Paste the final text into the SMS counter to see the segments you will pay for.
- 4
Send from a registered sender ID
Use a sender ID registered for this traffic type in each destination country.
Questions about this template
How many SMS segments is this message?
1 segment(s): the text has 117 characters in GSM-7. GSM-7 fits 160 characters in a single SMS, or 153 per segment when the message is split.
Is this promotional or transactional SMS?
Transactional. It relates to a specific order, account or appointment, so it can be sent around the clock as long as it carries no promotional content.
When can I send this message?
Any time. Transactional and OTP messages are delivered 24/7; time-of-day windows such as 07:00–21:00 in the UAE or 09:00–22:00 in Saudi Arabia apply to promotional traffic.
Is this template available in other languages?
Yes. It is written natively in English, French, Spanish, German, Arabic, Portuguese, Turkish, and Simplified Chinese, so the Arabic and other versions read as original messages, not translations.