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Xero cannot send SMS payment reminders natively; its built-in reminders are email only. To text customers about invoices from Xero data you connect an AR app such as Paidnice, which sends SMS from US$0.10 per message.
Xero has a solid, free reminders feature. You switch it on per organization, set how many days before or after the due date a reminder goes out, and Xero emails the customer a copy of the invoice with a payment link. For a lot of businesses that email is enough, and it is the right place to start.
What Xero does not do is send a text message. There is no SMS channel in the reminders settings, no mobile field that triggers a text, and no way to escalate from email to SMS when someone ignores the first three emails. If you want a message that lands on the phone in someone's pocket, you need an app that reads your Xero invoices and sends the text for you.
That is the gap this guide closes. Paidnice sits on top of your Xero account, reads the same invoices, contacts, and due dates Xero already holds, and adds the channels Xero leaves out, including SMS.
The steps below use Paidnice, but the shape is the same for any AR tool that supports text: connect the ledger, make sure numbers are on file, then decide where in the sequence the text belongs.
The reason to keep email as the backbone is simple: it is free on your plan and it works. The SMS step is there for the invoices email alone does not move. Paidnice also routes by contact group, so a VIP customer can get the gentle email track while a repeat late payer gets the fuller ladder with a text near the end. Firm on the money, fair to the customer.
Here is the honest version, because it saves you money and goodwill: most customers still pay off an email. If you text everyone on every invoice, you spend more, you read as pushy, and you train good customers to dread hearing from you. SMS is a tool for the invoices that need it, not a channel to blast the whole ledger.
Three places a text earns its US$0.10:
Repeat late payers. The customers who let every email sit for three weeks tend to answer a text the same day. Route them into a group that gets the fuller sequence, with an SMS near the point they usually stall.
Time-critical nudges. A payment due before a service pauses, a card that is about to expire on an auto-pay plan, a final notice before an account escalates. These are the moments a phone buzz beats an unread inbox.
The last rung before escalation. A short, factual text that states the invoice, the amount, and the next step reads as serious without being a threat. It fits naturally as the step before you move an account up the escalation ladder.
For everything else, let email carry it, and mix the two thoughtfully. Our guide to combining email and SMS reminders walks through the placement in more detail, and the SMS reminder templates give you wording you can lift for each rung.
Texting a customer is more regulated than emailing them, and the rules vary by country. In the United States the main references are the FCC's rules under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and the CTIA messaging principles that carriers enforce. Treat what follows as a starting checklist and confirm the current rules for your situation with a qualified source.
The through-line across most jurisdictions is the same. Have a reasonable basis to contact the customer by text, usually a business relationship and a mobile number they gave you. Say who you are in the message so it is not mistaken for spam. Include a clear way to stop, commonly a reply of STOP, and honor it. Keep sends inside sensible hours in the customer's local time. A payment reminder to an existing customer about a live invoice is a fairly ordinary business message, but the opt-out and the business name are not optional.
Paidnice handles the mechanical side, including opt-out keywords and sending windows, so you are not tracking that by hand. The judgment call about consent stays with you, because you know the relationship. Paidnice is a reminders tool, not an agency that pursues overdue accounts for you; it sends the messages you configure, from your business, on your terms.
SMS is billed per message because each text costs real money to deliver, and rates vary by currency and destination. Essentials is US$69 per month and covers 150 invoices, 600 emails, and 2 team members, with no per-seat fees. Email reminders come with every plan, so the SMS spend only stacks on top when you actually send a text.
That pricing shape is deliberate, and it lines up with the advice above. Because email is included and SMS is metered, the cheapest and most effective setup is exactly the one that works best: email as the backbone, SMS as the targeted nudge. You can see the full breakdown on the SMS payment reminders page.
See how Paidnice works with Xero
No. Xero's invoice reminders are email only. To text customers about invoices from Xero data, connect an AR app such as Paidnice, which sends SMS from US$0.10 per message.
Not on its own. Xero has no native SMS. A connected app reads your Xero invoices and sends the text on your behalf when an invoice hits the trigger you set.
Connect Paidnice to your Xero organization, add a mobile number to each contact, build a reminder sequence, and add an SMS step at the point where email stops working. Setup takes about 15 minutes.
Use email for most reminders and SMS for repeat late payers and time-critical nudges. Most invoices are paid off an email, so SMS works best as a targeted escalation rather than the default channel.
SMS starts at US$0.10 per message, on top of a plan from US$69 per month for Essentials. Email reminders are included in every plan.
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