WhatsApp to Begin Charging Businesses Per Message From October 1
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By Victor Olubiye
Businesses using the WhatsApp Business Platform will begin paying for certain messages sent to customers from October 1, 2026, following a new pricing change announced by Meta.
The company, which owns WhatsApp, disclosed the adjustment in its WhatsApp Business Platform pricing update, indicating that charges for service messages will resume from October 1.
The development will affect businesses that use the WhatsApp Business Platform, formerly known as the WhatsApp Business API, to communicate with customers at scale.
Under the revised system, businesses will be charged for certain delivered service messages, including customer-service responses sent within the 24-hour period after a customer initiates a conversation.
The change also covers some utility messages sent within the customer-service window, meaning businesses that handle large volumes of customer enquiries and support requests could face additional communication costs.
However, the development does not mean that ordinary WhatsApp users will have to pay to send messages. It also does not introduce a general messaging charge for businesses using the standard WhatsApp Business application.
Meta's move represents a further shift in the way it charges businesses for communication through WhatsApp. The company has increasingly moved towards a per-message pricing structure for different categories of business communications.
For businesses that rely heavily on WhatsApp for customer support, sales, bookings and other services, the new charges could increase their operating costs.
The change is particularly significant for organisations that handle thousands of customer interactions through the platform, as even relatively small charges per message could accumulate into substantial expenses at high volumes.
Businesses using the platform are therefore expected to review their WhatsApp communication strategies ahead of the October 1 implementation date.
The new pricing policy is part of Meta's broader effort to monetise WhatsApp's growing role as a business communication platform while maintaining free messaging for ordinary users.


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