Questions, answered.
Everything about QR Call codes, press-1 opt-ins and TCPA compliance, pricing and prepaid overage, the free trial, and the Broadcast add-on. Still stuck? Email support@vblast.net.
Getting started
Is there a free trial?
Yes — every new account starts free for 30 days or 30 minutes of inbound call time, whichever comes first, no credit card required. Record your greeting, generate your QR Call code, and go live in minutes. When the trial ends, add a card to keep going — your number, voice greeting, and opt-ins all carry over with nothing to re-set-up.
How does upgrading from the free trial work?
When your trial ends — after 30 days or 30 minutes of inbound calls, whichever comes first — your campaign pauses and the dashboard prompts you to add a card. The moment you do, the same campaign comes right back to life — your toll-free number, your recorded greeting, and every opt-in you collected carry over. Nothing to re-set-up.
Do I need to do TCR or toll-free verification?
No. Vblast holds a pre-verified pool of toll-free numbers, so you can be live in ten minutes. Compare to one-to-twelve weeks at every other SMS platform. Compliance is the platform’s problem, not yours.
What if my voice greeting doesn’t work — can I re-record?
Re-record as many times as you want at any tier. The recording is the most important asset of your campaign — Vblast’s wizard plays it back so you can hear yourself before going live.
Pricing & billing
How does billing work?
It’s monthly: $49 per active campaign, with 1,000 voice minutes included. Need more minutes? Buy prepaid 1,000-minute packs for $49 — they never expire. The optional Broadcast add-on is $19/mo per account. No annual contract — cancel any time from your dashboard and you won’t be billed again.
What happens if I go over my 1,000 included minutes?
No surprise bill. When you need more, you buy a prepaid 1,000-minute pack for $49 (4.9¢/min, the same per-minute price as your plan). Prepaid minutes never expire and carry over between cycles, and they’re only used after your included minutes run out. If you run out with no prepaid minutes left, the campaign pauses (we email you first) and comes right back when you top up — or automatically at your next cycle. Most single-campaign customers never come close; 1,000 minutes is a lot of greetings.
How does the Broadcast add-on work?
Broadcast is an optional $19/mo add-on on top of any campaign. It lets you send a single SMS to everyone who opted in — 1,000 messages a month included, up to 2,000 recipients per send. Need more? Buy prepaid 1,000-SMS packs for $19 — they never expire and carry over between cycles, and you simply prepay to send beyond the included 1,000 (no surprise overage bills). You can segment your list, A/B test copy, and run multi-stage announcements. STOP-list numbers are auto-excluded and a STOP footer is added if you forget. Turn it on or off from your dashboard any time.
What’s included in a custom plan?
Custom plans are for operators who need more than one toll-free campaign: local 10DLC numbers, multiple numbers on one account, higher voice and broadcast allowances, and multi-campaign management for brands and agencies. It’s sales-assisted and priced to your volume — email support@vblast.net to scope it.
Opt-ins & compliance
What counts as a verified opt-in?
A press-1 keypress on a Vblast call. Every opt-in includes a recorded audio call, a DTMF timestamp, the calling number, and the call SID — a TCPA-defensible consent record that beats any web checkbox in court.
Is my opt-in list mine?
Completely. Every press-1 opt-in lives in your dashboard with its full consent record. You can reply one-on-one to anyone who texts back, and — with the Broadcast add-on — send a single SMS to everyone who opted in. Want a full export of your list? Email support@vblast.net any time and it’s yours, consent metadata intact.
What happens to my opt-in list if I cancel?
It stays yours. Email support@vblast.net for a full export of your opt-in list — with consent metadata, timestamps, and call SIDs intact — at any time, including the day you cancel. Vblast doesn’t hold lists hostage.
Compliance & data protection
How does Vblast’s consent model actually work?
Vblast uses a three-layer model that captures different data at different stages of the caller’s journey, each with its own legal basis. Layer 1 (scan) and Layer 2 (the phone call) are operational data under legitimate interest; Layer 3 (the press-1 keypress) is express consent. The result: every SMS Vblast sends is backed by a durable, timestamped opt-in record, and nothing else we collect is used for marketing.
What data do you capture when someone scans the code? (Layer 1)
When someone scans a QR Call code, their browser opens a Vblast short URL (q.vblast.net/abc123) — a normal web request that includes the originating IP. We store only a SHA-256 hash of the IP (never the raw IP), the timestamp, and the user-agent. Legal basis: legitimate interest (GDPR Art. 6(1)(f)) / service operation (CCPA), equivalent to standard server access logging. It’s used for aggregate scan analytics and abuse prevention only — never for marketing, profile-building, ad-targeting, re-identification, or sale to third parties.
What data do you capture during the phone call? (Layer 2)
When the caller dials the campaign’s toll-free number, our voice provider sends us the phone number in E.164 format plus a call identifier. We capture the phone number, call SID, start/end time, and duration. Legal basis: legitimate interest — call records are necessary to play the audio the caller requested, bill voice minutes, and prevent fraud. This data is not used to send marketing SMS or shared with the customer as a marketable contact.
What exactly is the press-1 consent record? (Layer 3)
The audio explicitly tells the caller what will happen (“press 1 to receive a text about [topic]”). If they press 1, that affirmative action is the consent gate. We capture the exact opt-in event: phone number, timestamp, the call ID it was attached to, and the digit pressed. Legal basis: express consent (GDPR Art. 6(1)(a)) / express written consent (TCPA). It’s used to send the SMS they consented to and stored permanently as an audit record — never for further messages without new consent.
How does Vblast satisfy TCPA?
The TCPA requires prior express written consent for marketing SMS to a wireless number. Vblast’s press-1 flow satisfies this through the established e-signature framework: the caller is informed of the specific message content via your audio, and their press-1 is recorded as their electronic signature. The stored consent record includes the caller’s phone number, the exact press-1 timestamp, the call SID linking consent to a specific recorded interaction, and the campaign active at the time — the strongest TCPA posture short of a notarized signature.
How are STOP and opt-out requests handled?
STOP, STOPALL, UNSUBSCRIBE, CANCEL, END, and QUIT replies are honored automatically, per FCC rules. Every SMS includes a STOP-to-unsubscribe footer (auto-appended if you leave it out). STOP’d numbers are blocked at our application layer and confirmed at the carrier layer.
How does Vblast handle CCPA / CPRA (California)?
Vblast does not sell or share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising. Caller data is processed solely to operate the service — playing the audio they called, recording their consent, and sending the SMS they requested. California residents can request access, deletion, or correction by emailing support@vblast.net; we respond within 30 days. For caller data tied to a specific customer’s campaign, deletion requests may be routed through that customer as the data controller.
What about GDPR / UK GDPR?
Vblast is a US-based service aimed at US customers and callers and does not target EEA or UK residents — but where the framework applies: the layered model maps to GDPR Art. 6 (legitimate interest for operational data, explicit consent for marketing data); we minimize data (raw IPs are never persisted, only hashes); access, rectification, erasure, portability, and objection are all supported (support@vblast.net); customers acting as controllers can request a DPA; and data is stored in US-based Supabase infrastructure, with Standard Contractual Clauses for any cross-border transfers.
Do you handle 10DLC / toll-free verification?
Yes — and it’s the platform’s job, not yours. Vblast operates exclusively on toll-free numbers, all of which complete toll-free verification before entering the customer-facing pool, so you can be live in minutes instead of the 1–12 weeks typical elsewhere. Customers who need a 10-digit local number can email support@vblast.net for 10DLC brand and campaign registration as a sales-assisted option.
What compliance responsibilities stay with me, the customer?
Vblast provides the machinery — consent capture, opt-out handling, the opt-in audit trail, and the mandatory unsubscribe footer. You remain responsible for the substance of your audio and SMS body, sector-specific rules (financial, healthcare, political, etc.), state-specific telemarketing rules, honoring opt-outs received through any channel (not just SMS STOP), and keeping any records your industry requires. See Terms of Service Section 6 for the full division of responsibility.
Why is the layered model stronger than a web-form opt-in?
Many SMS platforms collect numbers from web forms, lead generators, or purchased lists and claim TCPA compliance from a single checkbox — a fragile model where the opt-in record is often disconnected from the message it’s meant to authorize. Vblast inverts that: the caller is on a phone call, hearing your specific message, when they press 1. Every SMS we send corresponds to one specific caller pressing one specific button at one specific moment, recorded with cryptographic identifiers.
Can I pull an audit record if I get a TCPA complaint?
Yes. You can pull the complete opt-in record from your dashboard at any time — phone number, timestamp, call ID, SMS message ID, and delivery status. CSV export is available on the Opt-ins tab. (This describes how Vblast is designed and operated; it is not legal advice — for questions specific to your business, consult an attorney.)
Who do I contact for compliance, regulatory, or DPA questions?
Email support@vblast.net for any compliance, regulatory, or Data Processing Agreement questions.
Ready to go live?
Start free for 30 days or 30 minutes — whichever comes first, no card. When it’s working, it’s a flat $49/mo per campaign.