WhatsApp now charges for replies: what 1 October 2026 means for SMEs

IT 7 Oct 2026 4 min

Since 1 October 2026, Meta charges businesses on the WhatsApp Business Platform for normal replies to customers, not just templates. Here’s what changed, what’s still free, and how to check whether it touches your bill. Based on Meta’s developer docs, checked 7 October 2026.

What changed

Replies are now charged. A “service message” is any normal, non-template reply sent inside the 24-hour customer service window, whether your staff typed it or a third-party AI wrote it. These had been free since 1 November 2024.
1,000 free a month, per number. Each business phone number gets 1,000 free delivered service messages per calendar month. Unused ones don’t roll over. From the 1,001st, Meta charges per delivered message at the market’s utility rate, with no volume discounts. The rate follows your customer’s country code. For customers on Malaysian (+60) numbers, that’s US$0.014 per message on Meta’s rate card effective 1 October 2026 (RM0.0564 on Meta’s ringgit rate card).
Utility templates inside the window are charged too. Order updates or booking confirmations sent as templates while the window is open had been free since 1 July 2025. They’re now charged at the utility rate.
No payment method, no replies. If there’s no payment method on the WhatsApp account, Meta stops delivering service messages once they become chargeable.

What’s still free

Messages your customers send you.
Messages inside a free entry point window. It opens when a customer messages you from a Click-to-WhatsApp ad on the WhatsApp phone app (Android or iOS) and you reply within 24 hours. Meta’s docs say the window may stay open for up to 7 days from your reply, and marketing, utility, authentication and service messages inside it aren’t charged.

This only applies to the WhatsApp Business Platform (the API). The free WhatsApp Business app on a phone isn’t affected.

Is it a big number?

Work it out from last month’s chats. Example only: if your number sends 3,000 replies in a month to Malaysian customers, 2,000 are charged. At US$0.014 each, that’s US$28 for the month (about RM112.80 if your Meta account is billed on the ringgit rate card).

For most SMEs that’s small next to a missed sale. But it changes one habit: every reply now has a price, so one clear, complete answer is better than three half-answers.

What about AI replies?

Replies written by a third-party AI, like ThinkChat, count as service messages, the same as replies from your staff. Meta’s own AI product, Meta Business Agent, is billed separately per token (US$2 per million tokens since 1 August 2026).

What hasn’t changed

The 24-hour rule is the same. You can still send normal replies only while the customer service window is open, and it still resets each time the customer messages you. Replying while the window is open is still the easiest, friendliest way to serve a customer.

Three questions to ask your provider

Are Meta’s message charges included in my plan, or billed separately?
Whose payment method is on file with Meta, mine or yours?
Can I see how many service messages my number sends each month?

Ask any provider, including us.

For the terms behind this, read Templates, sessions, and 24-hour windows (short glossary) and WhatsApp Business API in plain English.

Soft next step

If you want to hire a ThinkChat AI CS employee and get a straight answer on how Meta’s charges work with your plan, Talk to Lyia on WhatsApp: +60 11-5515 9318.

Plans stay simple: Junior RM299 · Senior RM599 · Manager RM899 a month. Pick the level that matches how much of your customer service you want covered.

Sources

Checked 7 October 2026. Meta can update pricing on the 1st of each quarter, so check these pages before relying on a rate.

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