Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, is set to introduce new charges for businesses using the WhatsApp Business Platform from October 1, 2026.
The change is contained in an update to the WhatsApp Business Platform pricing structure released by Meta in July.
The new pricing will affect businesses that use the official WhatsApp Business Platform, formerly known as the WhatsApp Business API, to communicate with customers at scale.
Banks, fintech companies, e-commerce businesses, telecom operators, logistics firms and large retailers that use WhatsApp for customer service and transactional messages are among those likely to be affected.
However, the new charges will not apply to ordinary WhatsApp users. Most small businesses that use the regular WhatsApp Business app on their phones are also not affected by the change.
What is changing?
Under the existing system, when a customer sends a message to a business, a 24-hour customer service window is opened.
During this period, businesses can respond using free-form service messages without paying Meta under the current pricing arrangement. Certain utility messages sent within the same window have also been free.
That is set to change from October 1.
Meta said it will begin charging businesses on a per-message basis for service messages sent during an open 24-hour customer service window.
The company said in its developer documentation:
“Effective October 1, 2026, Meta will charge on a per-message basis for all service messages, consistent with how Meta charges for template messages.”
According to Meta, service messages have not been charged since November 1, 2024.
The company is also introducing charges for utility messages sent in response to customers within an open 24-hour customer service window.
Meta said:
“Effective October 1, 2026, Meta will charge on a per-message basis for utility messages sent in response to users.”
Utility messages can include payment confirmations, order updates and delivery notifications.
Nigerian businesses could pay about N14 per message
For businesses in Nigeria, a chargeable utility or service message is expected to cost about $0.0101 per message.
Using an exchange rate of approximately N1,340 to the dollar, that works out at roughly N14 per message.
Marketing messages will remain considerably more expensive, at about $0.062 per message, which is approximately N84 at the same exchange rate.
The actual amount paid by a business may, however, be higher because Meta’s fees are separate from charges that may be imposed by Business Solution Providers or other third-party platforms.
Businesses need to add payment methods
Meta has also warned businesses and Solution Providers using the WhatsApp Business Platform to ensure that a valid payment method is added before the new pricing takes effect.
The company said businesses that do not have a payment method on file by September 30 could have their service messages stopped once the new charges come into effect.
Meta stated:
“For any Solution Provider or directly-integrated businesses that does not have a payment method on file by September 30, 2026, Meta will stop delivering service messages as of when they become charged on October 1, 2026.”
This means affected businesses will need to review their WhatsApp Business Platform accounts and payment arrangements before the deadline.
What this means for WhatsApp users
For ordinary WhatsApp users, there is no indication that the change will introduce a charge for sending or receiving normal WhatsApp messages.
The new pricing is targeted at businesses using the WhatsApp Business Platform to handle customer conversations and other communications at scale.
Small businesses using the standard WhatsApp Business mobile application should also not confuse the new platform charges with the app they use to communicate with customers.
For larger businesses that send thousands or even millions of messages, however, the change could increase the cost of customer communication from October.
Companies that use third-party providers to access the WhatsApp Business Platform may also need to check their contracts, as those providers could apply additional fees on top of Meta’s charges.
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