Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, has announced that it will begin charging businesses for certain messages sent through the WhatsApp Business Platform from October 1, 2026.
Meta disclosed the pricing change in a WhatsApp Business Platform pricing update in July 2026, stating that charges for service messages would resume from October 1, 2026.
The new charges will affect companies using the official WhatsApp Business Platform, formerly known as the WhatsApp Business API, to manage customer conversations at scale.
Banks, fintechs, e-commerce companies, telecoms operators, logistics firms and large retailers that rely on the platform for customer service and transactional communication are among those that could be affected.
However, the development will not affect ordinary WhatsApp users or most small businesses using the standard WhatsApp Business app on their phones.
Under the current system, when a customer sends a message to a business, a 24-hour customer service window opens. During that period, businesses can respond with free-form service messages and certain utility messages without paying Meta.
However, from October 1, Meta will begin charging businesses on a per-message basis for service messages sent during the customer service window.
Meta, in its developer documentation, said, “Effective October 1, 2026, Meta will charge on a per-message basis for all service messages, consistent with how Meta charges for template messages. These messages have not been charged since November 1, 2024.”
The company added, “Effective October 1, 2026, Meta will charge on a per-message basis for utility messages sent in response to users (within an open 24-hour customer service window). These messages have not been charged since July 1, 2025.”
Utility messages include communications such as payment confirmations, order updates and delivery notifications.
Meta also warned businesses and Solution Providers about the need to add a payment method ahead of the new charges.
It said, “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.”
For Nigerian businesses, a chargeable utility or service message is expected to cost about $0.0101 per message, equivalent to roughly ₦14 based on an exchange rate of about ₦1,340 to the dollar.
Marketing messages are considerably more expensive, at about $0.062 per message, or approximately ₦84 at the same exchange rate.
Olamilekan Adigun is a graduate of Mass Communication with years of experience in journalism embedded in uncovering human interest stories. He also prioritises accuracy and factual reportage of issues.
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