Brief

WhatsApp Business Platform introduces charge for service replies after Oct. 1

From 1 Oct 2026 the first 1,000 service replies per phone number stay free, then businesses pay roughly 15 cents per reply.

By Felo News Desk · Published Sat, 10 Oct 2026 07:04:22 GMT

Meta announced on 1 Oct 2026 that its WhatsApp Business Platform will begin charging for service replies after a free allowance of 1,000 replies per business phone number each month, according to bizcommunity.com.

What happened

The change means the initial 1,000 outbound messages remain free, but any additional reply costs about 15 cents each, subject to provider rates, exchange‑rate fluctuations and VAT. For high‑volume use cases—competitions, loyalty programmes, chatbots or customer‑service desks—the new fees can quickly add up.

What the reports add

The article notes that a campaign generating 10,000 entries, each requiring four outbound replies, could incur roughly R6,000 in messaging charges before the free quota is applied, not counting platform or provider fees. It also highlights that many interactions involve multiple messages, so the total cost of a customer journey may be higher than previously assumed.

What was said

The piece quotes its own analysis, stating, "It’s only a few cents' adds up," to illustrate how small per‑message fees accumulate across large volumes.

How it came about

Bizcommunity suggests businesses compare the new WhatsApp costs with alternatives such as the Wina Wena chat solution, which claims to be up to 50 % cheaper and offers data‑free access, encrypted communication and no extra app installation.

Key facts

WhatsApp Business Platform introduced a charge of about 15 c per service reply after 1 Oct 2026. (bizcommunity.com)
The first 1,000 service replies per business phone number each month remain free. (bizcommunity.com)
A high‑volume campaign of 10,000 entries with four replies each could cost roughly R6,000 in messaging fees. (bizcommunity.com)