America Online's Tegic Communications says that last year, 39 percent of residents in the United States said they planned to send  "Merry Christmas" SMS text messages to family and friends using their cell phones. This time of year almost everything comes with a price tag, and cellular text messaging is no exception. For those users who do not subscribe to a monthly messaging bundle, here is how much it will cost to send each of your holiday greetings of 160 characters or less this year:

• T-Mobile: 15 cents per message within the United States and to Canada (up 5 cents from 2006)
• Verizon Wireless: 15 cents per message within the United States and 25 cents per sent text message to International numbers
• Sprint Nextel: flat rate of 20 cents per message in the United States and International locations (up 10 cents from 2006)
• AT&T: 15 cents per message and 25 cents per sent text message to International numbers

While 2007 saw many carriers raising the cost per message, text messaging is still less than half the price of a stamp. With so many cell phone users in the United States using test messaging, seasonal greetings sent via SMS are sure to ring in the dollars for carriers this holiday season.

Adapted from Instant Messaging Planet.