01In short
To send appointment reminders with SMSMeteor, schedule one message per booking with send_at set to the moment it should arrive, for example 24 hours before the slot, or upload tomorrow's bookings as a CSV each afternoon. Personalise with the name, time and place, and add a two-way number if you want recipients to reply C to confirm. Each reminder costs one message at the destination's published rate; there is no subscription.
- Traffic type
- Transactional (service message)
- Timing
send_atper message, or a daily file- Personalisation
- Name, time, place from your columns or payload
- Confirmation
- Optional two-way number: reply C or X
- Length
- One segment with time, place and brand
- Cost model
- Per message, no plan
Recommended settings
02How it works here
From nothing to delivered, in 4 moves.
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01Pick the moment
The day before at a civil hour works for most services; add a second reminder two hours ahead for high-value slots.
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02Say what matters
Brand, date and time, place, what to do if they cannot come. Avoid anything that reads as an offer.
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03Collect replies
With a two-way number, replies arrive in the panel and on your webhook; keyword rules can answer automatically.
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04Track no-shows
Compare attendance for reminded and non-reminded bookings. That number, not the delivery rate, is the result.
03What matters
From a booking system or from a file
If your booking software can call a URL, send one API request when the appointment is created, with send_at in UTC for the moment the reminder should arrive. Use the booking id as reference and in the idempotency key, so a rescheduled appointment can cancel and replace its reminder cleanly.
If it cannot, export tomorrow's bookings each afternoon and upload the file in the panel: columns become variables, the preview shows the longest rendered message, and the campaign can be scheduled for a local window the next morning.
04In practice
Replies and cancellations
A reminder that can be answered is worth more than one that cannot: a cancelled slot can be resold. Rent a two-way number for the country you serve, ask for C to confirm or X to cancel, and route the inbound events to your system. Keep the wording neutral; a reminder that upsells is marketing and loses its transactional status.
05What it costs
2,000 messages, priced per destination.
One segment each at today's published rates. The same unit price applies to one message or a million; there is no plan, no setup fee and no monthly fee.
Rate card last updated 22 September 2026
| Destination | Rate per SMS | 2,000 messages |
|---|---|---|
 United States | $0.0084 | $16.80 |
 United Kingdom | $0.0130 | $26.00 |
 Germany | $0.0238 | $47.60 |
 France | $0.0205 | $41.00 |
 Australia | $0.0084 | $16.80 |
 Canada | $0.0088 | $17.60 |
Other destinations: cost calculator
06A message that works
What it looks like on the phone, and in the request.
Who, when, where, and a one-letter reply.
curl https://api.smsmeteor.com/v1/messages \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $SMSMETEOR_KEY" \
-H "Idempotency-Key: booking-77120-reminder-24h" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"to": "+61491570156",
"text": "Northside Dental: reminder of your appointment tomorrow at 10:30, 14 Mill St. Reply C to confirm or X to cancel.",
"send_at": "2026-09-21T23:30:00Z",
"campaign": "reminders",
"reference": "booking-77120"
}'07Pitfalls
Three mistakes we see, and how to avoid them.
Scheduling in your time zone
send_atis UTC. Convert from the clinic's local time, daylight saving included, or use a local window on a file campaign.A discount in the reminder
That makes it marketing. Keep reminders factual.
Alphanumeric sender with "reply C"
Names cannot receive replies. Use a two-way number when you ask for an answer.
09Questions, answered
Appointment and booking reminders: questions, answered.
When should an appointment reminder be sent?
Twenty-four hours before works for most services, at a civil local hour. High-value or long appointments benefit from a second reminder two to three hours ahead.
Can recipients confirm or cancel by reply?
Yes, when the message is sent from a two-way number. Replies arrive in the panel inbox and on your webhook, and keyword rules can answer automatically. Alphanumeric senders cannot receive replies.
Do I need a subscription for reminders?
No. Each reminder is one message at the destination's published rate. A practice sending 2,000 reminders a month to the United Kingdom pays $26.00.
Are reminders subject to quiet hours?
A reminder is a service message, so it can be flagged transactional and bypass quiet hours. In practice you will schedule it at a sensible hour anyway.
What if an appointment is rescheduled?
A scheduled message can be cancelled before it leaves. Use the booking id in the reference so your system finds it, then schedule the new one.
Can I send reminders without an integration?
Yes. Export tomorrow's bookings as a CSV, upload it in the panel, personalise with your columns and schedule the campaign.