Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, has announced plans to begin charging businesses for customer-service messages on its WhatsApp Business Platform from October 1, 2026.
According to a notice on
its WhatsApp Business platform, Meta said it will also begin charging for
utility messages sent in response to users within the open 24-hour window.
The policy means businesses whose operations depend on the
platform will need to plan for additional operational costs from a previously
free service.
“Effective October 1, 2026, Meta will charge on a
per-message basis for all service messages, consistent with how Meta charges
for template messages. These messages have not been charged since November 1,
2024,” the company said.
“Effective October 1, 2026, Meta will charge on a
per-message basis for utility messages sent in response to users (within an
open 24-hour customer service window). These messages have not been charged
since July 1, 2025.”
A service message is a non-template reply sent by a business
after a customer initiates a conversation, while utility messages refer to
transactional communications such as payment confirmations, account updates,
order confirmations, and delivery notifications.
While the 24-hour customer-service window will remain in
place, businesses will no longer be able to send free service messages when the
window closes under the new policy.
The new charges apply to businesses using the WhatsApp
Business Platform, formerly known as the WhatsApp Business API, which is
designed for companies managing customer communications at scale.
This includes businesses such as banks, fintech companies,
telecommunications operators, e-commerce platforms and other companies that use
WhatsApp for customer support and automated communications.
Although Meta has not provided specific rates, current pricing
references indicate that utility-type messages to Nigerian numbers
are around $0.0101 per message, or roughly N13.5 at an official
exchange rate of N1,337 as at August 28, 2026,
Businesses are also expected to confirm the applicable October rate once Meta publishes its final rate card.
Meta has also warned businesses and solution providers to
have a valid payment method on their accounts before the new charges take
effect.
“For any Solution Provider or directly-integrated businesses
that does not have a payment method on file by September 30, 2026, Meta will
stop delivering service messages as of when they become charged on October 1,
2026,” the company said.
The move follows Meta’s shift towards per-message pricing on
the WhatsApp Business Platform.
Since July 2025, utility messages sent within an open
customer-service window were free, while service messages had been free since
November 2024.
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