Meta WhatsApp fees from October 2026

In short

• From 1 October 2026, Meta charges for every delivered service message on the Official WhatsApp API. A service message is a non-template reply sent inside the 24-hour window each customer message opens.
• Each business phone number gets 1,000 free service messages a month. Unused ones do not roll over: the allowance resets to 1,000 every month.
• After those 1,000, each reply costs the same as a utility message in the recipient's market: US$0.022 in the UK, US$0.02 in Spain and US$0.0034 in the United States and Canada.
• Utility templates you send inside the 24-hour window are charged from that date too.
• Meta asked businesses to add a payment method to their WhatsApp Business account by 30 September 2026; if you have not, add one now. Meta's pages describe what happens without one differently: the pricing page says Meta delivers service messages within the free allowance and stops once it is used; the non-template messages page says Meta stops delivering service messages from 1 October 2026, when they become charged. Do not count on the free allowance without a payment method.

Source: Meta, WhatsApp Business Platform pricing: service rates effective 1 October 2026.

Rates by market from 1 October 2026

US dollars per delivered message, from Meta's official USD rate card effective 1 October 2026. What counts is the market of the customer who receives the message, not yours.

Rest of Latin America covers Bolivia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Uruguay and Venezuela.

Compared with the July 2026 card, Mexico's marketing rate rises from US$0.0305 to US$0.0397, and Peru's utility and authentication rate rises from US$0.02 to US$0.03. Meta revises its rates every quarter, so check Meta's rate card before you budget.

What changed on 1 October 2026

Meta charges only for delivered messages, not sent ones. In a group, each member who receives the message counts as one. With two numbers, each has its own 1,000 allowance. Sources: WhatsApp Business Platform pricing and non-template messages.

What you would pay: examples

At each market's service rate, with one number:

• 800 replies in a month to customers in United Kingdom: US$0. They fit inside the 1,000 free.
• 1,500 replies in a month to customers in United Kingdom: 500 billable × US$0.022 = US$11.00.
• 3,000 replies in a month to customers in United Kingdom: 2,000 billable × US$0.022 = US$44.00.

For your own volumes across every category, use the WhatsApp API cost calculator.

Who pays Meta

• Meta bills the WhatsApp Business account that sends the message. If you connect Andy through the Official WhatsApp API, that account is yours: you pay Meta directly, with the payment method you add in Meta.
• Andy does not set these rates. They are not part of your Andy subscription or Andy's billing.
• Andy's replies are service messages. Meta counts as service every non-template reply that is not powered by Meta Business Agent, Meta's own AI, including replies written by a person or by a third-party AI. Meta Business Agent is a separate category, charged per token since 1 August 2026. Andy does not send templates.

What about Direct WhatsApp?

Direct WhatsApp links the number you already use by scanning a code, like WhatsApp Web. It does not use Meta's official API and is not authorized or endorsed by Meta, so these per-message charges do not apply. It carries a higher risk of the number being blocked than the official API: avoid bulk sends and anything that looks like spam.

Do not pick Direct WhatsApp just to avoid the fee. If you reply to fewer than 1,000 messages a month per number, Meta does not charge those replies on the official API. Andy works with both; see the WhatsApp chatbot and WhatsApp auto reply pages.

Sources

Checked on 27 September 2026:

• Meta: WhatsApp Business Platform pricing, sections "Service rates, effective October 1, 2026" and "Rate cards effective October 1, 2026" (USD, CLP, MXN and GBP cards).
• Meta: pricing updates for non-template messages: service versus Meta Business Agent, the payment-method deadline and the 72-hour free window.