In the USA you get charged for receiving anything, texts, calls everything.
> However they also have inclusive packages that have thousands of free
> minutes as a fraction of the cost of our inclusive packages.
>
Not quite true. It depends on your service provider. I have an ATT Wireless phone - it costs 10 cents to send texts, but receiving is free. My son has a VerizonWireless phone, and he is charged 2 cents to receive texts. Some US providers offer free calling and receiving between their own subscribers. I find that my UK Orange phones are cheaper to run than my US ATTs. And I have yet to find a way to get SMS delivery reports on ATT.