Meta to Charge Businesses for WhatsApp Service Messages From October 1
Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, is set to introduce charges for certain messages sent by businesses through the WhatsApp Business Platform from October 1, 2026.
The development, contained in a WhatsApp Business Platform pricing update issued in July 2026, will affect companies that use the official WhatsApp Business Platform, formerly known as the WhatsApp Business API, to manage customer communications at scale.
However, the new pricing will not affect ordinary WhatsApp users or most small businesses using the standard WhatsApp Business app on their mobile phones.
Under the existing system, when a customer initiates a conversation with a business, a 24-hour customer service window opens. During this period, businesses can respond with free-form service messages and certain utility messages without being charged by Meta.
From October 1, however, Meta will begin charging businesses on a per-message basis for service messages sent within the customer service window.
According to Meta’s developer documentation, the company will also introduce per-message charges for utility messages sent in response to customers during an open 24-hour customer service window.
Meta stated that service messages have not been charged since November 1, 2024, while utility messages within the customer service window have been free since July 1, 2025.
Utility messages typically include payment confirmations, order updates, delivery notifications and other transactional communications.
The company has advised businesses and Solution Providers using the platform to ensure that a valid payment method is added before the new charges take effect.
Meta warned that businesses or Solution Providers without a payment method on file by September 30, 2026, could have their service messages stopped once the new charges become effective on October 1.
For Nigerian businesses, a chargeable utility or service message is expected to cost approximately $0.0101 per message, which is about ₦14 per message based on an exchange rate of roughly ₦1,340 to the dollar.
The new pricing means businesses that rely heavily on WhatsApp for customer support, order processing and transactional communication may need to review their messaging strategies and budgets ahead of the October 1 implementation date.
Meta to Charge Businesses for WhatsApp Service Messages From October 1