WhatsApp starts charging for replies on 1 October
Meta is ending the free 24-hour reply window. Every number gets 1,000 free replies a month, then pays per message. Without a payment method saved, your replies stop sending.
From 1 October 2026, Meta charges for the replies you send on WhatsApp. Every business number gets 1,000 free service messages a month, then pays per message. If you haven't saved a payment method with Meta, your replies stop sending past that point.
Until now, answering a customer who messaged you first was free for 24 hours. That ends.
What's changing
Meta is moving service messages from free to per-message billing. Every business phone number gets 1,000 free service messages a month, and you pay from the 1,001st. It starts at midnight on 1 October in your WhatsApp Business Account's timezone.
A service message is any free-form reply you send inside the 24-hour window: the answer to 'is this still available?', the photo of the back panel, the confirmation that Saturday 3pm works. They all count. Utility templates change too. They were free inside the window, and from October they're charged from the first send, with no allowance.
Meta bills a service message at the same utility rate your market already uses, based on where your customer is rather than where you are. There's also no volume discount.
The part that catches people out
This isn't only a billing change. Without a payment method in Meta's Billing Hub, Meta delivers your first 1,000 service messages each month, then stops. It doesn't queue them. It doesn't tell the buyer. Message 1,001 simply never arrives, and your customer sees a shop that went quiet mid-conversation.
A card on file is now the difference between answering your customers and disappearing on them.
It takes a couple of minutes to add a card in Meta's Billing Hub. If you manage more than one WhatsApp Business Account, check each one. The payment method sits on the account, not on your login.
Replying by hand is still free
If your number runs on Coexistence, meaning it works in the WhatsApp Business app and in Moshee at the same time, billing follows how each message is sent. Messages you type in the app on your phone stay free. Messages sent through the API, including the ones you send from your Moshee inbox, are the ones that count against your 1,000.
That's Meta's rule rather than ours, and it's worth knowing before October.
What's not changing
- The WhatsApp Business app. Replying by hand from the green app is free, and stays free.
- Normal WhatsApp. Personal chats are unaffected.
- The free entry point. Chats that start from a click-to-WhatsApp ad or a Facebook Page button still give you 72 free hours. That window is worth more now.
- Incoming messages. You're never charged for what a customer sends you.
What to do before 30 September
- Add a payment method in Billing Hub. This is the one that breaks things. Do it for every business account you manage.
- Check how many replies you send a month. If a number is near 1,000, you want to know now, not in the third week of October.
- Ask what your provider adds on top. Some platforms mark up Meta's rate. Moshee does not do that.
- Write fuller replies. One complete message beats three fragments. Better for the buyer, cheaper for you.
- Answer ad chats fast, while the 72 free hours are open.
What we're doing
Meta's charges go to Meta. You pay them directly, Moshee doesn't add a markup, and your plan doesn't change because of this.
On our side, we're working on cutting the number of messages Moshee sends to say the same thing. Fewer, fuller replies are the biggest lever on this bill, and we'd rather pull it for you than ask you to think about it.
If you're not sure your account is set up right, message us and we'll check it with you.
Based on Meta's published pricing updates and the notice sent to business admins. Per-market rates are set by Meta and can change. Check Meta's current rate card for the numbers that apply to you.