Starting October 1, Meta will charge for service messages, the replies you send within the 24-hour window after a customer reaches out to you. The charge comes from Meta and applies to everyone using WhatsApp Business through the API or Coexistence, on any platform. Here's what changes:
1. NEW: SERVICE messages
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They start being charged in October;
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Each business number gets 1,000 free per month;
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From the 1,001st on, you pay;
2. CHANGE: UTILITY messages
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Through September: free within the 24-hour window;
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Starting October: charged within that window;
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Example: order confirmations and updates now cost money;
3. NO CHANGE (still free)
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Non-template messages (text, image, etc.) within the 24-hour window;
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Messages received from the customer;
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Click-to-WhatsApp window (72h);
⚠️ IMPORTANT: your template category can change on its own
Meta can reclassify a template from Utility to Marketing if it considers the content promotional, even if the category was already confirmed in a review.
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Usually with 1 day's notice. If your number has already been warned for category misuse, the change is immediate and without notice;
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Once reclassified, the template is charged at the marketing rate, with no new approval needed;
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To avoid it: keep utility templates truly transactional (confirmations, updates) and leave promotional content for marketing templates;
How to fix it (5 minutes)
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Go to Meta's Billing Hub → Payment methods
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Add a card (Visa/Mastercard) or link a credit line
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Confirm it's linked to the WhatsApp Business account
Official reference: https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/pricing#updates-to-rate-cards