For years, WhatsApp Business Platform bills were built around 24 hour "conversations". That changed on 1 July 2025, when Meta moved to per-message pricing. If you send campaigns, reminders or one-time passwords on WhatsApp, the way you estimate cost is now different.
What changed on 1 July 2025
Meta now charges for each delivered template message. Templates are the pre-approved messages a business uses to start or restart a chat. Every template belongs to one of three paid categories:
- Marketing: offers, announcements, newsletters, re-engagement.
- Utility: updates the customer expects, like order confirmations, shipping updates or appointment reminders.
- Authentication: one-time passwords and login codes.
Each category has its own rate, and the rate depends on the country of the person receiving the message, not the country of your business.
What stays free
Two things matter most for everyday costs:
- Replies inside the customer service window are free. When a customer messages you, a 24 hour window opens. During it, your normal (non-template) messages cost nothing. Meta's documentation states that all non-template messages are free when sent inside an open customer service window.
- Utility templates inside an open window are free too. If a customer asks "where is my order?" and you answer with a utility template while the window is open, you are not charged for it.
There is also a free entry point window. When someone messages you from a Click to WhatsApp ad or a Facebook Page call-to-action button, every message you send for the next 72 hours is free, templates included.
India specific changes in 2026
Meta's pricing page lists two changes for India this year: a higher marketing rate from 1 January 2026, and a higher authentication-international rate from 1 April 2026. Meta has also announced localized billing for India to reduce the effect of currency swings. Because rates change, always check the current rate card before you budget a big campaign.
How to keep the bill predictable
- Use the right category. A shipping update written as a utility template is cheaper than the same message sent as marketing, and it can be free inside an open window. Do not disguise marketing as utility though: Meta reviews templates and can recategorise them.
- Answer fast. A reply sent while the customer's window is open is free. A reply sent the next day needs a paid template.
- Clean your audience. You pay for delivered messages, so sending to people who no longer want to hear from you wastes money and hurts your quality rating.
- Watch volume tiers. Utility and authentication messages get cheaper rates as monthly volume grows. Volume is counted across all WhatsApp Business Accounts in your business portfolio.
How SG Reach helps
SG Reach connects to your own WhatsApp Business Account, so Meta bills you directly with no markup. Campaign reports show delivered, read and replied counts per template, and the inbox shows whether a customer's 24 hour window is still open before you type. If someone is not on WhatsApp, smart fallback can reach them by SMS, email or Arattai instead of retrying a message that will never arrive.
Rule of thumb: pay for the messages that start conversations, then keep the conversation going inside the free window.
Sources
Figures are from the sources above as of the date of this article. Platform rules and prices change, so check the latest version before you rely on them.
WhatsApp, email, SMS and Arattai campaigns and automation in one place.