Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, has announced plans to begin charging businesses for customer-service messages on its WhatsApp Business Platform from October 1, 2026.
According to a notice on its WhatsApp Business platform, Meta said it would also begin charging for utility messages sent in response to users within the open 24-hour window.
The policy means businesses whose operations depend on the platform will need to plan for additional operational costs from a previously free service.
“Effective October 1, 2026, Meta will charge on a per-message basis for all service messages, consistent with how Meta charges for template messages. These messages have not been charged since November 1, 2024,” the company said.
“Effective October 1, 2026, Meta will charge on a per-message basis for utility messages sent in response to users (within an open 24-hour customer service window). These messages have not been charged since July 1, 2025.”
A service message is a non-template reply sent by a business after a customer initiates a conversation, while utility messages refer to transactional communications such as payment confirmations, account updates, order confirmations, and delivery notifications.
While the 24-hour customer-service window will remain in place, businesses will no longer be able to send free service messages when the window closes under the new policy.
The new charges apply to businesses using the WhatsApp Business Platform, formerly known as the WhatsApp Business API, which is designed for companies managing customer communications at scale.
This includes businesses such as banks, fintech companies, telecommunications operators, e-commerce platforms and other companies that use WhatsApp for customer support and automated communications.
Although Meta has not provided specific rates, current pricing references indicate that utility-type messages to Nigerian numbers are around $0.0101 per message, or roughly N13.5 at an official exchange rate of N1,337 as at August 28, 2026,
Businesses are also expected to confirm the applicable October rate once Meta publishes its final rate card.
Meta has also warned businesses and solution providers to have a valid payment method on their accounts before the new charges take effect.
“For any Solution Provider or directly-integrated businesses that do 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.
The move follows Meta’s shift towards per-message pricing on the WhatsApp Business Platform.
Since July 2025, utility messages sent within an open customer-service window were free, while service messages had been free since November 2024.