WhatsApp Business free messages end October 1: Here’s what changes

Businesses using the WhatsApp Business Platform will have to pay for service messages from October 1, as Meta ends the free service messaging facility and introduces per-message charges. The change will apply in India and other markets, with service messages charged at the same rates as utility and authentication messages in each market.

Meta has also set September 30 as the deadline for businesses to add a payment method. Those using a Solution Provider or direct integration and without a payment method on file by then will stop receiving service messages once the new charges come into effect on October 1, 2026.

“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.

What counts as a service message

Service messages are non-template responses sent by a human customer service representative or a third-party artificial intelligence solution. They can be sent only while a 24-hour customer service window is open, meaning businesses cannot use them to start conversations with customers.

Meta currently charges businesses for marketing, utility and authentication template messages. Non-template service messages have been free since November 1, 2024.

Utility messages sent in response to users within an open 24-hour customer service window have also been free since July 1, 2025. From October 1, both service messages and utility messages sent in response to users will be chargeable.

This means businesses will have to pay for some responses even when they are sent within the 24-hour customer service window.

How the new charges will work in India

Meta says service message rates will differ by market and will match the applicable utility and authentication message rates. The company published the rates for October 1 on September 1.

For Meta Business Agent accounts in India, the billing currency is the Indian rupee. The global Business Agent rate is converted into INR using the daily exchange rate applicable when a message is delivered.

Meta Business Agent messages are already paid services. From August 1, Meta began charging for these messages on a token basis, with a single charge covering both artificial intelligence processing and message delivery.

The global rate is $2 per 1 million tokens, according to Meta. A typical message uses about 20,000 to 25,000 tokens, translating to roughly 4 to 5 cents per message. More complex interactions can consume more tokens and therefore cost more.

Businesses face two charging categories

Under the new structure, every non-template message sent by a business will fall into either the Service or Meta Business Agent category.

A response powered by a person or a third-party AI system will be classified as a service message and charged on a per-message basis. A response powered by Meta Business Agent will instead attract the separate token-based Business Agent charge.

Meta has said businesses will not be charged twice for the same message.

The company has illustrated the change through a customer conversation involving one marketing message, two Meta Business Agent responses, one service response and one utility message. From October 1, that interaction would result in five charges. Under the earlier pricing structure, only the marketing message would have been chargeable.

Payment deadline and free entry points

Businesses using WhatsApp Business through a Solution Provider or direct integration must add a payment method by September 30 to avoid disruption to service messages.

Meta has also introduced credit and debit cards as payment options for Meta Business Agent accounts. Visa and Mastercard cards became available on September 8, while eligible businesses can also use a credit line with Meta and receive monthly invoices.

The free entry point window remains unchanged. Messages sent within that window after a user reaches WhatsApp through an advertisement that clicks to WhatsApp will continue to be free for message delivery.

However, Meta Business Agent messages sent through such interactions can still attract AI token charges.

Meta's current WhatsApp Business Platform policy also allows businesses to respond to a user's message without an approved template within 24 hours of the user's last message. Outside that customer service window, businesses must use approved message templates.