Registering for 10DLC and not sure which use case to pick? Your use case tells carriers what kind of messages you'll send, and picking the wrong one is a common reason registrations get rejected. This article explains the two types, lists every use case, and walks you through choosing the right one.
What a use case is
A use case is a category of message content defined by the carriers. You declare one when registering your 10DLC campaign, and reviewers judge it against the sample messages you submit. Your choice affects three things: how fast you're approved, what you pay each quarter (see 10DLC Charges), and what your opt-in language must say.
⚠ Your use case, sample messages, and opt-in must all tell the same story. Reviewers reject registrations where the declared use case doesn't match the sample messages, or where use cases are irrelevant or unsupported. Your opt-in language must also explicitly state the kind of messages people are consenting to. See Opt-ins and CTA.
Standard vs. Special
Standard use cases are approved automatically. No extra carrier review before or after registration.
Special use cases are sensitive or critical categories. They need extra vetting or pre- or post-registration approval from the carriers, so plan for more time. Political, Charity, and K-12 Education are the ones CallHub users pick most.
How to choose
- Write down the kinds of messages you'll actually send. Your sample messages are the truth here, not your intentions.
- If everything fits one standard category below, pick that category.
- If your messages span 2 to 5 standard categories, pick Mixed, and prepare one sample message for each category it covers.
- If you're a small sender with low volume across a few categories, pick Low Volume Mixed instead of Mixed.
- If your organization or content falls under a special category (political, charity, K-12, and so on), pick that special use case and plan for the extra verification time.
- Before you submit, check that your opt-in language names the same kind of messages. See Opt-ins and CTA.
Standard use cases
| Use case | Pick it when you send |
|---|---|
| 2FA | One-time passcodes, authentication, or verification messages |
| Account Notification | Updates about a contact's account status |
| Customer Care | Support and account-management conversations with existing customers, with no promotional content |
| Delivery Notification | Updates on the delivery status of a product or service |
| Fraud Alert | Warnings about potentially fraudulent activity on an account |
| Higher Education | Messages for colleges, universities, and school districts (not K-12, and not free-to-consumer platforms) |
| Low Volume Mixed | A few kinds of messages at very low volume, like a small nonprofit or a test account |
| Marketing | Anything promotional: offers, event promotions, recruitment, solicitation |
| Mixed | 2 to 5 of the standard categories above in one campaign |
| Polling and Voting | Surveys and polls in non-political settings |
| Public Service Announcement | Awareness messages with no sale, upsell, or commercial call to action |
| Security Alert | Notices that a system was compromised and the recipient must act |
✓ Small sender? Low Volume Mixed keeps costs down. It covers multiple message types on one registration, as a rough guide for senders under about 15,000 messages a month. The trade-off is capped throughput that brand vetting cannot raise, so outgrow it and you'll need to re-register under a bigger use case.
Special use cases
| Use case | Pick it when | Extra requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Political | You message to influence decisions, like elections or advocacy for candidates | Verification through Campaign Verify |
| Charity | You're a registered 501(c)(3) raising money or helping those in need (religious organizations excluded) | Carrier approval after registration |
| K-12 Education | Your platform supports K-12 schools or distance learning | Carrier approval after registration |
| Agents and Franchises | You need individual local numbers per agent, branch, or office | Carrier approval after registration |
| Emergency | Public safety alerts during disasters or emergencies | Restricted to pre-approved providers |
| Proxy | App-based group messaging through pooled numbers | Carrier approval after registration |
| Social | Public figures or influencers messaging their communities | Restricted, needs pre- and post-registration approval |
| Sweepstakes | Contest, lottery, or sweepstakes messaging | Carrier approval after registration |
ⓘ Political or Charity? It depends on your tax status. 501(c)(3) organizations generally register under Charity. Political committees and 527 organizations register under Political, which requires a Campaign Verify token. See Campaign Verify for how to get one.
FAQs
I send several kinds of messages. Which use case do I pick?
Mixed, if they're all standard categories, with one sample message per category. If your volume is low, Low Volume Mixed does the same job for less.
We're a nonprofit that does advocacy. Political or Charity?
Check your tax status. 501(c)(3) organizations generally belong under Charity; political committees and 527 organizations belong under Political with a Campaign Verify token. If you're unsure, contact Support before registering, since each submission carries a non-refundable vetting fee (see 10DLC Charges).
Why was my use case rejected?
Usually a mismatch: the sample messages didn't support the declared use case, or extra use cases were tacked on without evidence. Avoid These Mistakes to get 10DLC Registrations Approved covers the fixes.
Does my choice change what I pay?
The registration charges are per use case per quarter, so a rejected pick costs you a resubmission fee. The amounts are in 10DLC Charges.
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