Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, will begin charging businesses for certain messages sent through the WhatsApp Business Platform from October 1, 2026.
The company announced the pricing change in a WhatsApp Business Platform update published in July 2026.
Under the new system, businesses will pay about N14 per service or qualifying utility message sent through the platform.
The charges will apply to companies using the official WhatsApp Business Platform, formerly known as the WhatsApp Business API, to manage customer conversations on a large scale.
Banks, fintechs, e-commerce companies, telecoms operators, logistics firms and large retailers that use the platform for customer service and transaction-related communication are among those that will be affected.
However, the new charges will not affect ordinary WhatsApp users or most small businesses using the standard WhatsApp Business app on their phones.
Currently, when a customer sends a message to a business, a 24-hour customer service window opens. During this period, businesses can respond with free-form service messages and certain utility messages without paying Meta.
From October 1, however, Meta will charge businesses on a per-message basis for service messages sent during the customer service window.
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Meta 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. These messages have not been charged since November 1, 2024.”
The company added, “Effective October 1, 2026, Meta will charge on a per-message basis for utility messages sent in response to users (within an open 24-hour customer service window). These messages have not been charged since July 1,…
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