Businesses using the WhatsApp Business Platform will need to update their payment details before the September 30 deadline to avoid service messages being stopped from October 1.
Meta is introducing per-message charges for service messages from October 1, ending the period when these messages were free. The company has warned Solution Providers and businesses using direct integrations that accounts without a payment method on file will no longer have their service messages delivered.
“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.”
The change covers non-template service messages sent within an open 24-hour customer service window. These messages can be sent by customer service representatives or third-party AI solutions. They are separate from Meta Business Agent messages, which became a separate category in July 2026.
How the new WhatsApp Business charges will work
From October 1, service messages will be charged per delivered message, with rates varying by market. Meta says the rates will match utility and authentication message rates in each market, with no volume-based tiers.
Utility messages sent within an open 24-hour customer service window will also become chargeable from October 1. Service messages have been free since November 1, 2024, while the affected utility messages have been free since July 1, 2025.
The 24-hour service window opens or resets whenever a user sends a message. Businesses cannot use non-template service messages to start conversations.
Meta Business Agent messages will continue under a separate token-based pricing model introduced on August 1. Only 1 charge applies to each message, so the same message will not be charged under both categories.
Meta’s example shows that a customer interaction that previously generated 3 charges could result in 5 charges after October 1.
The free entry point window remains unchanged. Messages sent after users reach WhatsApp through ads that click to WhatsApp remain free for delivery, although Meta Business Agent messages can still incur token charges.
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