Meta made several changes to the WhatsApp Business Platform this year, and two of them change what you pay. Replies to customers are no longer free, and Indian businesses that pay Meta directly have to move their billing to rupees before the year ends. Here's what changed, what it costs, and what to do about it.
The changes at a glance
| Change | When | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Replies in the 24-hour window are charged after 1,000 free a month | October 1, 2026 | Check your monthly reply volume and make sure a payment method is set up |
| Utility templates sent inside the 24-hour window are charged | October 1, 2026 | Count them in your budget |
| Indian accounts must bill in INR | By December 31, 2026 | Check your currency in Meta Billing Hub |
| Marketing messages leave the Cloud API | October 13, 2027 | Ask your provider when they move to the Marketing Messages API |
| One phone number can work with several providers | Live now | Know which tool receives your customers' replies |
1. Replies to customers are charged again
When a customer messages your business, a 24-hour customer service window opens and you can reply freely. Those replies are called service messages. Meta stopped charging for them in November 2024. From October 1, 2026, it charges for them again, per delivered message:
- Every business phone number gets 1,000 free service messages a month.
- From the 1,001st, each reply costs the service rate for the customer's country. For Indian numbers that's ₹0.115 per message, before GST.
- The free tier resets every month and unused messages don't roll over.
- If there's no payment method on the account, Meta stops delivering replies once the 1,000 are used. Your customers simply stop hearing back.
What it costs in practice. Say a clinic answers 80 patient chats a day with about four replies each. That's around 9,600 replies a month. The first 1,000 are free and the other 8,600 cost 8,600 × ₹0.115 = ₹989, plus 18% GST. A business answering a handful of chats a day stays inside the free tier.
2. Utility messages inside the window are charged too
Since July 2025, utility templates (order updates, booking confirmations, delivery alerts) were free when you sent them inside an open customer service window. That ended on October 1, 2026. They're now charged at the normal utility rate, ₹0.115 for India, whether or not the customer messaged you first.
3. What is still free
- Messages your customers send you.
- Messages that were sent but never delivered.
- The first 1,000 service messages per phone number each month.
- Everything in the free entry point window. When a customer messages you from a Click to WhatsApp ad on the Android or iOS app and you reply within 24 hours, a window of up to 7 days opens in which marketing, utility, authentication and service messages are all free.
4. Meta's rates for India from October 2026
Per delivered message to an Indian (+91) number, excluding 18% GST:
| Category | Meta rate |
|---|---|
| Marketing | ₹0.8631 |
| Utility | ₹0.115 |
| Authentication | ₹0.115 |
| Service (after 1,000 free a month) | ₹0.115 |
Your provider adds its own fee on top. To work out a monthly bill, use the WhatsApp API cost calculator, and see how BSP pricing works in India to compare providers.
5. Indian businesses must bill in INR by December 31
If your business pays Meta directly and its Sold-To country in Meta Billing Hub is India, every WhatsApp messaging account in your business portfolio has to be billed in INR by December 31, 2026. From January 1, 2027, Meta stops delivering messages from accounts that are still in another currency, usually USD.
Open Billing Hub in Meta Business Suite and check the currency of each WhatsApp account. Meta provides a currency migration tool for this. If your provider bills you for WhatsApp instead, ask them to confirm their accounts are already on INR.
6. Marketing messages move to a new API by October 2027
The Cloud API will stop sending marketing messages on October 13, 2027. After that, marketing templates must go through Meta's Marketing Messages API, which adds features such as an expiry time for time-sensitive offers and automatic delivery optimisation. Utility, authentication and service messages stay on the Cloud API with no change.
Your phone number and existing marketing templates work with the new API, so for most businesses this is a change your provider or developer makes in the background. It's worth asking them when they plan to switch.
7. One number, several providers
A single WhatsApp number can now be connected to more than one provider or tool, each with its own billing. That's useful, for example, if marketing uses one tool and support uses another. The catch: when two tools share a number, incoming customer messages are routed to one of them. If you connect a new tool, check that replies still reach the team that answers them. Routing is set in Meta Business Suite.
8. Business usernames
WhatsApp is gradually letting eligible Cloud API businesses claim a username, so customers can find you by name while your phone number stays visible. Eligible businesses can claim one in WhatsApp Manager; it's rolling out market by market.
How to keep your WhatsApp bill down
- Solve it in fewer messages. Each reply now counts. One complete answer costs less than four short ones.
- Use Click to WhatsApp ads for promotions. Conversations that start from them get the free entry point window.
- Pick the right template category. A message Meta classes as marketing costs about 7.5 times a utility message in India. Keep order and booking updates strictly transactional.
- Send only to people who opted in. Messages to people who never asked for them get blocked and reported, which hurts your number's quality rating.
- Watch the free tier per number. If you run several numbers, each one gets its own 1,000 free service messages.
WhatsApp on notifySphere
notifySphere passes Meta's rate through at cost and adds a small processing fee per message: ₹0.04 for marketing, ₹0.02 for utility, ₹0.01 for authentication and ₹0.02 for service messages. Billing is postpaid, with no deposit or prepaid wallet. You also get push notifications and install attribution in the same dashboard. See the WhatsApp Business API page or request free access.
Frequently asked questions
Are WhatsApp replies free in the 24-hour window?
Not any more. Since October 1, 2026, Meta charges service messages (your replies inside the 24-hour customer service window) per message. Each business phone number gets 1,000 free service messages a month; after that each reply costs the service rate for the recipient's country, ₹0.115 for India.
Is the 1,000 free service message tier per business or per phone number?
Per business phone number. It resets every month at midnight in your messaging account's time zone, and unused messages don't carry over.
What happens after the 1,000 free service messages if I have no payment method?
Meta stops delivering service messages once the free tier is used up, so customers stop getting your replies. Make sure a payment method is set up, either your own or through your provider.
Which WhatsApp messages are still free?
Messages customers send you, messages that fail to deliver, the first 1,000 service messages per number each month, and everything you send in the free entry point window that opens when a customer messages you from a Click to WhatsApp ad on the mobile app.
Do I have to change my billing currency to INR?
If you pay Meta directly and your business is registered in India (Sold-To country India in Billing Hub), yes: all messaging accounts must use INR by December 31, 2026, or Meta stops delivering their messages from January 1, 2027. If a provider bills you, ask them whether their accounts are migrated.
Will my WhatsApp marketing messages stop working in 2027?
Marketing messages sent through the Cloud API stop on October 13, 2027. They need to go through Meta's Marketing Messages API instead. Your phone number and marketing templates carry over, so for most businesses this is work for the provider or developer, not a new setup.