WhatsApp Business New Rules From October 1: Service Messages To Become Chargeable; Check India Rates

Businesses using the WhatsApp Business Platform will face a change in messaging costs from October 1, 2026, as Meta brings charges to some customer-service communications that have so far been available without a messaging fee. The revision will affect companies that use WhatsApp for customer support, order updates, delivery information, bookings, payment-related communication and other service interactions.

WhatsApp Business Pricing To Change From October 1

The key change is that service replies will no longer remain completely free. From October 1, businesses will get 1,000 free service messages per month for each WhatsApp Business phone number, after which additional service messages will be charged at the applicable rate for the customer's market. Utility messages sent within the 24-hour customer service window will also become chargeable.

What Is WhatsApp Business Platform And Who Will Be Affected?

The WhatsApp Business Platform is the version of WhatsApp designed for companies that need to handle customer communication at scale. Businesses can connect their own systems, customer-support platforms or third-party service providers to the platform to send and receive messages automatically or through support teams.

This is different from the regular WhatsApp application used by individuals and also differs from the standalone WhatsApp Business app used by smaller businesses. The October 1 pricing changes specifically concern businesses using the WhatsApp Business Platform.

The change is therefore particularly relevant to companies with large customer-support operations. Retailers, banks, travel companies, e-commerce platforms, healthcare businesses and other service providers that handle thousands of WhatsApp conversations could see their communication costs rise.

What Was Free Earlier On WhatsApp Business?

Under the existing system, when a customer contacted a business, a 24-hour customer service window opened. Businesses could send free-form service replies during this period without paying Meta a messaging charge.

For example, a customer could ask a retailer about an order, contact a travel company about a booking or raise a delivery complaint. The business could respond within the open 24-hour window without a separate charge for those service messages.

Meta had also allowed certain utility messages to be sent without a charge when the customer service window was open. This included communications such as order-related updates and delivery information. The treatment of these messages is now changing.

Changes From October 1, 2026

From October 1, utility messages sent during the 24-hour customer service window will become chargeable at the applicable utility rate for the recipient's market. This means a company cannot rely on an open customer-service window to send such messages without a messaging cost.

At the same time, service messages will move from an entirely free model to a limited free allowance. Each business phone number will receive 1,000 free service messages per month. Once that allowance is exhausted, additional service replies will attract the applicable service-message charge.

The 24-hour customer service window itself is not disappearing. What is changing is the pricing treatment of messages sent during that window.

How Much Will WhatsApp Business Messages Cost In India?

For India, the utility rate from October 1 is listed at Rs 0.115 per delivered message before GST, according to current pricing reports based on Meta's October rate card. Service messages will follow the applicable utility/authentication rate after the monthly free allowance is exhausted.

For example, if an Indian business sends 1,000 chargeable utility messages, the Meta messaging cost would be Rs 115 before GST. A company sending 10,000 such messages would face Rs 1,150 in messaging charges before GST, excluding any separate fees charged by its technology or solution provider.

The per-message amount may appear small, but the impact becomes more significant for businesses handling hundreds of thousands or millions of customer interactions every month.

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