Refund Policy: Automatic SMS Refunds

Last updated 2026-08-23

This policy explains when MarioSMS refunds an activation, when it doesn't, and how balance top-ups are treated. It applies to all customers. Where local consumer-protection law gives you additional rights, those rights are not reduced by anything in this policy.

Automatic refund: no code, no charge

If a rented number does not receive an SMS code within the activation window, the activation is cancelled automatically and the full price is returned to your MarioSMS balance. This is enforced by the platform, so you do not need to file a claim. The refund appears in your transaction history with the reason "Timeout refund."

The activation window is shown on the activation detail page and configured per service. Typical windows are 5 to 20 minutes.

Refund on cancellation before SMS

You may cancel an activation at any time before an SMS code arrives. Cancelling refunds the full price to your balance. If an SMS arrives during the cancellation window, meaning the code reaches the supplier between your tap and our backend's confirmation, the refund is reversed and you are charged. This is the same behaviour the timeout flow uses and exists to prevent receiving a code for free.

No refund after SMS is delivered

Once an SMS code is delivered to your activation page, the service has been performed and the price is non-refundable, regardless of whether the third-party service you were verifying accepts the code. We do not control how third-party services process verification codes, and we cannot guarantee that any particular service will accept any particular number.

KYC-required combinations

Some service-and-country combinations require one-time identity verification. We will tell you before you spend if a particular combination requires verification. If you cannot or do not wish to complete verification, you may choose a different combination, or withdraw your unspent balance (see "Balance top-ups" below).

Balance top-ups

Top-ups by card (Visa, Mastercard) and crypto (including USDT TRC20) credit your balance once the payment provider confirms them. If a provider returns a failed-deposit status, the top-up is rolled back automatically and nothing is charged to your balance.

Unspent balance is yours. If you choose to leave the platform, contact support: crypto top-ups are returned to a wallet you control, less network fees, and card top-ups are refunded to the original card where the payment provider supports refunds (most do), with any processor fee that the provider does not return deducted from the refunded amount. We do not charge a withdrawal fee of our own.

Disputes and chargebacks

If you believe a charge was made in error, contact us first, because most disputes are resolved within five business days, which is faster than any card dispute process. Crypto transactions cannot be reversed on-chain, so a direct resolution with us is the only path for those.

For card payments, please raise the issue with us before filing a chargeback. Where a chargeback is filed for activations that were delivered as described, meaning a code arrived and is recorded in your activation history, we respond to the card networks with our delivery records, and the account may be suspended while the dispute is open. This does not limit your statutory rights or your right to dispute genuinely unauthorized charges with your issuer.

EU cooling-off period

Under the EU Consumer Rights Directive, digital services that begin performance immediately at the customer's express request are exempt from the 14-day cooling-off period. When you make a purchase on MarioSMS, you expressly request immediate performance, and you acknowledge that the right of withdrawal does not apply once the rented number is allocated. Top-ups that have not yet been spent on activations remain refundable on request, per the previous section.

Contact

To request a refund, raise a dispute, or ask a question about this policy, contact us at the email address listed in the footer of our home page. Please include your account email and the activation ID where relevant.