Banks, fintechs, others to pay for whatsApp messages from October 1

Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, will begin charging businesses for customer-service messages sent through the WhatsApp Business Platform from October 1, 2026.

The company announced the new policy in a notice on its WhatsApp Business Platform.

Under the new policy, businesses will pay for service messages on a per-message basis. Meta will also charge for utility messages sent in response to customers within the 24-hour customer-service window.

Meta said service messages have been free since November 1, 2024, while utility messages sent within an open customer-service window have been free since July 1, 2025.

“Effective October 1, 2026, Meta will charge on a per-message basis for all service messages,” the company said.

It added that utility messages sent in response to users within an open 24-hour customer-service window would also attract charges from October 1.

Service messages are non-template replies sent by businesses after customers start a conversation. Utility messages are transactional messages such as payment confirmations, account updates, order confirmations and delivery notifications.

Although the 24-hour customer-service window will remain, businesses will no longer be able to send free service messages after the window closes.

The new charges will affect businesses using the WhatsApp Business Platform, formerly known as the WhatsApp Business API. The platform is mainly used by companies that manage large volumes of customer communications.

Banks, fintech companies, telecommunications firms, e-commerce platforms and other businesses that use WhatsApp for customer support and automated messages are expected to be affected.

Current pricing information suggests that utility messages sent to Nigerian numbers cost about $0.0101 per message, which is approximately N13.5 based on an exchange rate of N1,337 to the dollar as of August 28, 2026.

However, businesses are expected to confirm the actual October rate when Meta releases its final pricing details.

Meta has also warned businesses and solution providers to have a valid payment method linked to their accounts before the new charges begin.

The company said businesses without a payment method by September 30 could have their service messages stopped from October 1.

The move is part of Meta’s broader shift towards charging businesses on a per-message basis for services provided through the WhatsApp Business Platform.