WhatsApp Business messages will become a paid service in India from October 1, 2026, as Meta ends free service messages on the WhatsApp Business Platform and introduces per-message charges for businesses.
The change will affect businesses that use WhatsApp to communicate with customers. Meta has also warned businesses using direct integrations or solution providers that they must add a payment method by September 30 to avoid disruption. Businesses without a payment method on file could have their service messages stopped once the new charges come into effect.
What is changing on WhatsApp Business?
Until now, certain non-template service messages sent by businesses were free. This included responses from customer service representatives or third-party AI systems when a customer had an open 24-hour customer service window.
From October 1, these service messages will also be charged on a per-message basis. Utility messages sent in response to customers within the 24-hour service window will also become chargeable.
The 24-hour customer service window itself will remain in place. Service messages can only be sent when this window is open, meaning businesses cannot use them to initiate conversations with customers.
How much will WhatsApp Business messages cost?
Meta’s new pricing varies according to the type of message and market.
For India, the WhatsApp Business Platform rate card for October 1 lists utility, authentication and service messages at ₹0.115 per delivered message before GST, while marketing messages are charged at a higher rate. Service messages will have an allowance of 1,000 free messages per business phone number each month, after which the applicable service-message rate will apply.
The charges apply to businesses using the WhatsApp Business Platform rather than ordinary personal WhatsApp users.
What about regular WhatsApp users?
There is no new charge for ordinary WhatsApp users sending personal messages.
The October 1 change is aimed at businesses using WhatsApp’s business messaging infrastructure to communicate with customers. Personal chats between WhatsApp users will continue to work as before.
Businesses must add a payment method
Businesses using WhatsApp through a solution provider or direct integration need to add a payment method by September 30, 2026.
Meta has said it will stop delivering service messages to businesses that do not have a payment method on file once the new charges take effect on October 1. Eligible businesses can use supported credit or debit cards, while some businesses may also be able to use a credit line and receive monthly invoices.
How will the new pricing work?
Under the new system, non-template business responses will generally fall into either the Service or Meta Business Agent category.
A response handled by a human customer-service representative or a third-party AI system will be treated as a service message and charged according to the applicable rate.
Messages generated by Meta Business Agent are subject to a separate token-based charge. Meta has said businesses will not be charged twice for the same message.
Free entry-point window remains
The free entry-point window for customers who reach a business through a Click-to-WhatsApp ad remains unchanged for message delivery.
However, messages generated through Meta Business Agent can still incur separate AI-related token charges, according to Meta’s pricing structure.
What does this mean for businesses?
The change could increase messaging costs for businesses that rely heavily on WhatsApp for customer support, order updates, service queries and other customer interactions.
Businesses that send large volumes of messages will need to account for the new per-message charges in their WhatsApp communication budgets. Companies will also need to ensure that their payment details are updated before the September 30 deadline to avoid disruption from October 1.
The move is part of Meta’s broader effort to monetise business messaging while continuing to offer WhatsApp’s core messaging service free to individual users. Meta has continued expanding its business tools, including AI-powered customer support and payment features for businesses on WhatsApp.