Meta will begin charging businesses for certain service messages sent through the WhatsApp Business Platform from October 1, 2026, ending the current free treatment for applicable replies within the 24-hour customer-service window.
The change affects organisations using the WhatsApp Business Platform, formerly known as the WhatsApp Business API, to handle customer communications at scale. It does not apply to ordinary WhatsApp users or businesses using the standard WhatsApp Business app.
Under the current system, a customer’s message opens a 24-hour service window in which businesses can send free-form replies without a Meta messaging fee.
From October 1, applicable service messages will be billed individually, while utility template messages sent during the window will also become chargeable.
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The change is significant for banks, fintech firms, retailers, airlines, telecommunications companies and other businesses that rely on WhatsApp for high-volume customer support, enquiries, transaction updates and order-related communication.
It is the latest phase of Meta’s shift towards per-message billing. The company made service conversations free on November 1, 2024, before introducing per-message pricing for template messages on July 1, 2025. Utility messages within an active service window remained free under that system.
That exemption will end on October 1.
Meta’s rates vary by message category and customer market, so charges for Nigerian businesses will depend on the applicable rate for each message type.
The new regime could push businesses to streamline automated responses, reduce unnecessary outbound messages and monitor WhatsApp traffic more closely.
For companies with large customer-service operations on the platform, WhatsApp messaging will become a more direct and significant operating cost from October 1.