WhatsApp Chat Billing Rules

——To learn about WhatsApp chat billing rules by reading this article

Chat Billing Rules

• Send messages to users who have no chat with businesses in 24 hours only via WhatsApp template messages (opens new window).

• When a customer sends a message to you, the system will immediately start a 24-hour timer called " Customer Service Time Range (opens new window)". If you are within this time range, you can send free format messages or template messages. If you exceed this time range, you can only send template messages.

Chat Mode

Starting from June 1, 2023, chats on the WhatsApp Business open platform are divided into four categories, with different rates for different types of chats.

• Marketing: information that includes promotions or discounts, updates to information, or invitations to customers to respond/take action.

• Utility: facilitate an agreed specific request or transaction, or provide customers with the latest information related to ongoing transactions.

• Authentication: enable the business to use OTP to verify user identity, which may occur in multiple steps of the login process.

• Service: all user initiated chats will be classified as service chats, used to help customers resolve questions.

Marketing, Utility, and authentication chats can only be enabled using template messages; service chats can only be enabled using free format messages.

Billing Rules

• WhatsApp will count all chats within a fixed 24-hour chat period. Whether the chat is a marking, transaction related or authentication chat initiated by a business, or a service chat initiated by the user, the chat will be enabled after the business successfully sends the first message.
• Businesses and users can send unlimited messages (including template messages) to each other in a 24-hour chat period, during which only one charge will be incurred from the corresponding type of chats.
• Marketing, utility, or authentication type: when you send approved marketing, utility, or authentication template messages to a customer, and there is no chat of the sent type between you and the customer that has already been enabled, the system will enable chats of the same category.
• Service conversation: when you are within the customer service time range and you send a free format message to the customer, and there are no enabled chats of any type between you and the customer, the system will enable a service chat.

Chat Pricing

The cost of the chat varies according to the country/region of the business and user and chat type. Please contact your sales manager to get the latest WhatsApp chat pricing.

Free Conversations

After November 1, 2024, service conversation will be free of charge.

Marketing, Utility and Authentication conversations are not part of the free tier.

Free Entry Point Conversations

• A free entry point conversation is opened if (1) a customer using a device running Android or iOS messages you via a Click to WhatsApp Ad (opens new window) or Facebook Page Call-to-Action (opens new window) button and (2) you respond within 24 hours. If you do not respond within 24 hours, a free entry point conversation is not opened and you must use a template to message the customer, which opens a marketing, utility, or authentication conversation, per the category of the template.

• The free entry point conversation is opened as soon as your message is delivered and lasts 72 hours. When a free entry point conversation is opened, it automatically closes all other open conversations between you and the customer, and no new conversations will be opened until the free entry point conversation expires.

• Once the free entry point conversation is opened, you can send any type of message to the customer without incurring additional charges. However, you can only send free-form messages if there is an open customer service window between you and the customer.