WhatsApp Business is widely used by companies to communicate with customers, handle queries and provide support. However, businesses using the WhatsApp Business Platform in India now face a change in Meta’s messaging charges from October 1, 2026.
Under the updated pricing structure, service messages sent in response to customer queries will no longer remain completely free. Businesses in India will receive 1,000 free service messages per business phone number every month. Once this limit is crossed, additional service messages will be charged at ₹0.115 per delivered message.
What Are WhatsApp Service Messages?
Service messages are regular, non-template replies sent by a business after a customer contacts it. They can be handled by a human customer support representative or a third-party AI system.
These replies can be sent while the 24-hour customer service window is active. This window starts when a customer sends a message to the business.
Earlier, such service replies were free. However, from October 1, businesses will have to pay for service messages after using their monthly free allowance.
The change is particularly relevant for companies that use WhatsApp to answer customer questions, manage complaints, provide order-related assistance or offer after-sales support.
Utility Messages Will Also Be Charged
Meta is also changing the treatment of utility messages sent during an active 24-hour customer service window.
Messages such as order confirmations and delivery updates were previously free when sent within the open service window. From October 1, these messages will also be charged according to the applicable utility rate for the customer’s market. In India, the published utility rate is ₹0.115 per delivered message.
The marketing message rate in India remains ₹0.8631 per delivered message, according to the published pricing information. These rates do not include applicable taxes or charges that may be added by third-party providers.
What About Meta Business Agent?
Meta has also introduced separate pricing for responses generated by its Meta Business Agent. AI-generated responses are charged based on the number of tokens processed, at a global rate of $2 per 1 million tokens. Tokens are the units used to measure the amount of text processed by the AI system.
This means businesses using automated customer support through Meta Business Agent may have a separate AI-related cost in addition to applicable WhatsApp messaging charges.
Meta has also said that businesses using the WhatsApp Business Platform through a solution provider or direct integration need to have a payment method configured. Service messages may stop being delivered if the required payment method is not available after the pricing change takes effect.
Disclaimer
This article is intended for general informational purposes and is based on publicly available Meta pricing information and published reports. WhatsApp Business charges can vary according to message type, customer market, account setup, applicable taxes and third-party provider fees. Businesses should check Meta’s latest official pricing terms before making billing or messaging decisions.