160.com.au review

160.com.au pricing

160.com.au sells fixed prepaid credit packs rather than a monthly subscription, with no general platform fee and no locked contract.

Each benchmark here is the cheapest combination of current packs that covers a comparison volume exactly, excluding GST. That gives 6.70c at one thousand messages a month, 5.41c at fifteen thousand, 4.50c at one hundred and twenty-five thousand and 4.50c at two hundred and fifty thousand. Pack prices include GST under the terms.

At fifteen thousand messages a month it ranks 10th on price among the 20 providers that bill in Australian dollars and publish a rate at that volume. The providers either side of it on price are listed above.

The terms require a message to be sent in every one hundred and eighty days, or unused credits expire and are removed. Credits are also non-refundable and non-transferable, apart from legal obligations and the narrow service-failure remedy the terms define.

A first-order promotion for new customers is advertised, and the benchmarks exclude it because it is not an ongoing standard rate.

A cheap rate only pays off when the sending method fits your workflow.

160.com.au features for Australian senders

The published sending methods are a web platform, an API and email to SMS.

The API is REST with JSON and authenticates over HTTP Basic using your username and an SMS secret. An older SOAP interface is still maintained. Delivery-receipt callbacks and inbound webhooks are supported, and test numbers simulate delivery outcomes without sending on air or spending credits. The API page publishes direct Australian connections to Telstra, Optus and Vodafone/TPG, along with dual Equinix data centres in Sydney and automatic failover.

A developer hub links an API reference, an OpenAPI specification, Swagger UI and implementation guides. Its ease and quality have not been independently tested.

Email to SMS addresses the recipient's number at @160.com.au, with the SMS secret in the subject line. A leading exclamation mark in the subject turns replies on. A business-name sender does not accept replies, and [end] removes the email signature that follows.

Contact upload runs through an XLS spreadsheet with mobile-number and Groups columns.

Sender types for 160.com.au include alphanumeric sender IDs, which display a business or brand name to recipients, and dedicated Australian virtual mobile numbers. A dedicated virtual number supports two-way messaging, meaning it can receive replies and inbound messages from customers, making it suitable for ongoing conversations.

$20 a month including GST for an Australian virtual mobile number, cancel any time; overseas numbers from $10 a month

The alphanumeric option runs through the national register, so the provider's standing there matters.

160.com.au sender ID and the ACMA register

The ACMA list of approved telcos and message providers for the SMS Sender ID register records BAY CALL PTY. LTD. (T/A 160.com.au and smspapa.com.au) as an originating telco. Separately, Bay Call's current terms and conditions state that Bay Call will lodge and manage alphanumeric Sender ID registration on behalf of its customers. Customers must supply evidence that they are entitled to use the requested business or brand name. Approval of every requested name is not guaranteed, so a business choosing a branded sender should confirm it can demonstrate its entitlement to the name before relying on it for campaigns.

160.com.au support and reputation

The provider describes an Australian support team, with a published phone line and contact form. We could not verify support hours, so confirm them before you rely on a response window. No reviewed security certifications are on record.

Marketing on the provider's site uses a delivery-guarantee claim. The current terms do not warrant uninterrupted availability or the delivery of any particular message, unless a signed service agreement provides otherwise, and statutory rights are preserved. Treat that as marketing language, not a documented uptime commitment.

No numeric public-review rating and no site performance score are on record for this provider.

Those conditions, more than the feature list, decide who should buy here.

Who 160.com.au suits

160.com.au suits an Australian business that buys prepaid, sends from the browser, email or the documented API, and can keep its account active.

A buyer with long inactive periods should look elsewhere, because unused credits expire after one hundred and eighty days without a send. A buyer who needs published support hours or a contractual uptime commitment must check the conditions before choosing.