SMS Notifications — Coming with Premium

How crab.travel uses text messaging to keep your group trip on track.

SMS is a Premium feature in development. Free accounts get the full email notification experience today — chat forwarding, price drop alerts, and vote reminders. SMS turns on automatically for trip organizers on the Premium plan once our messaging provider review clears. The opt-in flow, consent rules, and program details below are the system that will be in place when SMS launches.

Program name: crab.travel Trip Notifications · Phone: (425) 600-2722 · Terms · Privacy Policy

How Users Opt In (Call to Action)

SMS notifications are never enabled by default. crab.travel collects SMS consent through two methods:

Method 1 — Web opt-in (Profile page)

Users log in via Google OAuth and navigate to their Profile page at https://crab.travel/profile. In the Notifications section, they must complete all three steps:

Enter their phone number
Check the consent checkbox (appears only after a phone number is entered)
Select "SMS" or "Both" as their notification channel

If a user selects SMS or Both without checking the consent box, validation blocks the selection and the channel falls back to Email. SMS cannot be enabled without explicit consent.

Method 2 — Keyword opt-in (Text START)

Users can text START to (425) 600-2722 to opt in. They receive a confirmation reply:

"Welcome to crab.travel SMS alerts! You will receive trip updates, price alerts, and group chat notifications. Message frequency varies. Msg & data rates may apply. Reply STOP to unsubscribe, HELP for help."

Opt-In Visual Walkthrough

The Profile page requires login. Below is a step-by-step visual walkthrough showing exactly what users see during the opt-in process. Each step shows the actual UI from the Profile page Notifications section.

Step 1 — Initial state (SMS disabled by default)

Profile page · Notifications

Choose how and when we reach you. Email goes to your Google account. Add a phone number to enable SMS.

Phone number

+1 (555) 123-4567

Send notifications via

Email SMS Both

No phone number entered. SMS consent checkbox is hidden. Channel defaults to Email.

Step 2 — User enters phone number → consent checkbox appears

Profile page · Notifications

Choose how and when we reach you. Email goes to your Google account. Add a phone number to enable SMS.

Phone number

+1 (206) 555-0199

I agree to receive SMS/text messages from crab.travel, including trip chat messages, voting reminders, and status updates. Message frequency varies. Msg & data rates may apply. Reply STOP to unsubscribe at any time, HELP for help. Terms & Privacy.

Send notifications via

Email SMS Both

Phone entered. Consent checkbox now visible but unchecked. User must check it to proceed.

Step 3 — User checks consent + selects SMS → opt-in complete

Profile page · Notifications

Choose how and when we reach you. Email goes to your Google account. Add a phone number to enable SMS.

Phone number

+1 (206) 555-0199

✓ I agree to receive SMS/text messages from crab.travel, including trip chat messages, voting reminders, and status updates. Message frequency varies. Msg & data rates may apply. Reply STOP to unsubscribe at any time, HELP for help. Terms & Privacy.

Send notifications via

Email SMS Both

Consent given + SMS selected. User will now receive text notifications for their trips.

Validation — Selecting SMS without consent is blocked

Profile page · Notifications

Choose how and when we reach you. Email goes to your Google account. Add a phone number to enable SMS.

Phone number

+1 (206) 555-0199

Send notifications via

Email SMS Both

Blocked! User clicked SMS but consent is unchecked. Checkbox highlights with a red ring. Channel falls back to Email on save.

Interactive Demo

Try the opt-in flow yourself. This is a functional replica of the Profile page form with the same validation logic.

Live demo — Profile page Notifications section

Choose how and when we reach you. Email goes to your Google account. Add a phone number to enable SMS.

Phone number

Send notifications via

Email SMS Both

What Messages We Send

All messages are transactional and related to trips the user has joined. crab.travel does not send marketing or promotional messages.

Trip chat messages — when a group member sends a message in the trip chat
Voting reminders — when the group is choosing a destination and votes are needed
Trip status updates — when plans change, dates lock in, or stages advance
Booking confirmations — when flights or hotels are reserved
Price drop alerts — when a watched hotel or flight drops in price

Sample Messages

[crab.travel] Sarah: Hey everyone, should we push dinner to 7pm instead? Reply STOP to opt out.

crab.travel: Price drop alert! The Hilton Scottsdale is now $189/night, down from $245. View your trip at crab.travel. Reply STOP to unsubscribe.

[crab.travel] Trip status update: Nashville dates are locked in for June 12-15. Reply STOP to opt out.

How to Opt Out

Reply STOP to any message at any time
Uncheck the SMS consent checkbox on your Profile page
Change your notification channel to "Email" on your Profile page

Opt-out confirmation: "You have successfully been unsubscribed. You will not receive any more messages from this number. Reply START to resubscribe."

Help

Reply HELP to any message. Response: "Reply STOP to unsubscribe. Msg&Data Rates May Apply."

You can also email support@crab.travel or visit our contact page.

Program Details

Program name: crab.travel Trip Notifications
Message frequency: Varies based on trip activity (not more than 10 messages per day)
Message and data rates may apply
Carrier: Twilio (SMS delivery provider)
Phone number: (425) 600-2722
Consent is not required to use crab.travel — SMS is an optional notification channel

We do not sell, rent, or share your phone number with any third party for marketing purposes. Carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages.