Meta don set plan to monetize customer support on WhatsApp Business Platform by introducing per-message charges for service replies and utility messages wey dem deliver inside the 24-hour customer service window, effective October 1, 2026.
Under the new pricing model, non-template service replies wey human executives or third-party AI tools send go dey billed at standard local utility rates. For India, e fixed at ₹0.115 per message, excluding GST, and no volume-based pricing discounts.
Each business phone number go receive monthly allowance of 1,000 free service messages. After that, delivered messages go dey billed. Utility messages wey dem send inside the window go lose their free status and incur charges from the first message delivered.
Dis move marks significant shift in Meta enterprise messaging strategy. E bring end to free tier for service messages wey dem introduce November 2024, and utility window exemptions wey dem enact July 2025.
Meta don warn say enterprise accounts wey no get valid payment method on file by September 30, 2026, go face immediate disruption in service message delivery once the new billing rules take effect.
For messages wey Meta native Business Agent Platform generate, launched July 1, 2026, with billing initiated August 1, charges go continue to dey computed based on token consumption at $2.00, approximately ₹189, per million tokens. Because typical agent interaction dey consume between 20,000 and 25,000 tokens per message, Meta Business Agent replies go cost approximately ₹3.80 to ₹4.70 per message, scaling to ₹15–₹19 for basic four-message exchange and up to ₹47 for complex ten-message conversational threads.
Meta confirm say each outgoing message go dey categorized into single billing class to prevent double-charging. Also, the 72-hour free entry point window, triggered when customer initiate contact via Click-to-WhatsApp advertisements or Facebook Page action buttons, go remain free for standard replies, provided business respond within 24 hours. However, token usage for Meta Business Agent messages during this window go remain subject to token-based billing.
The updated commercial terms apply exclusively to API users on WhatsApp Business Platform, leaving regular WhatsApp users and free WhatsApp Business mobile app unaffected.
