WhatsApp Business Service Messages Turn Paid

Businesses using the WhatsApp Business Platform in India will face a change in messaging costs from October 1, 2026, as Meta introduces charges for certain service and utility communications that were previously free under the customer-service window. The change will affect companies using WhatsApp for customer support, order updates, delivery notifications, bookings and other service interactions.

Under the revised pricing structure, each business phone number will receive 1,000 free service messages per month. Once that allowance is exhausted, additional service messages will be charged at the applicable rate. Utility messages, including order confirmations and delivery updates, will also become chargeable even when they are sent during the 24-hour customer-service window.

KEY NUMBERS
The India rate for service messages after the monthly free allowance is ₹0.115 per delivered message before GST. Utility messages will also cost ₹0.115 per delivered message before GST from October 1.

The 24-hour customer-service window itself is not being removed. Instead, the pricing treatment of messages sent during that period is changing. Businesses will continue to receive customer-initiated messages without a Meta messaging charge, while certain business-initiated service and utility communications will now be billed.

The revised rules apply specifically to the WhatsApp Business Platform, which is designed for companies handling customer communication at scale through automated systems, support platforms or technology providers. They do not apply to ordinary personal WhatsApp accounts or the standalone WhatsApp Business application used by smaller businesses.

WHO IS AFFECTED
Large businesses such as retailers, banks, travel companies, e-commerce platforms and other service providers using the WhatsApp Business Platform for high-volume customer communication will be most directly affected.

For India, the reported utility rate from October 1 is ₹0.115 per delivered message before GST. At that rate, 1,000 chargeable utility messages would cost ₹115 before GST, while 10,000 messages would cost ₹1,150 before GST. These figures represent Meta's messaging charges and do not include possible fees from business solution providers or other technology platforms.

Marketing messages remain separately priced and are not covered by the 1,000 free service-message allowance. Meta's revised structure therefore primarily changes the cost of customer-service and utility communications for businesses that use the platform at scale, rather than introducing a charge for everyday personal WhatsApp messaging.