WhatsApp Business India Pricing: What Is the Fee and Who Will Have To Pay From 1st October?
Meta has revised WhatsApp Business API pricing in India, introducing charges for service replies and utility templates sent within the 24-hour customer service window. Businesses get 1,000 free service messages per month per phone number, after which service replies cost around INR 0.1150 per delivered message before GST. The changes take effect October 1.
Meta has implemented a major revision to its WhatsApp Business API pricing structure in India, introducing new per-message fees for service replies and utility templates sent within active customer windows. The updated framework impacts businesses relying heavily on automated customer support and transactional updates.
Under the revised guidelines, free-form service messages and in-window utility notifications are no longer entirely free. Companies must adapt their communication workflows to manage the new billing line items effectively. WhatsApp Username Reservations Now Open, Here Is How To Claim Yours.
New Charges for Service and Utility Messages
The updated policy alters how interactions inside the 24-hour customer service window are billed. While Meta provides the first 1,000 service messages free of charge each month per business phone number, subsequent service replies are billed at standard utility rates, which stand at approximately 0.1150 INR per delivered message before GST.
Additionally, utility templates such as order confirmations and shipping updates sent within the 24-hour window are now chargeable at standard rates. Previously, these in-window transactional templates were exempt from fees, but businesses must now factor these costs into their customer engagement budgets.
Who Will Have To Pay From October 1?
The revised pricing structure directly affects e-commerce platforms, customer support BPOs, and enterprises utilizing high-volume automated bots or live agents. Brands handling large quantities of post-purchase queries and support replies will see the highest financial impact as free-form interactions exceed the monthly 1,000-message allowance. WhatsApp Username and IDs To Roll Out by June 2026; Platform Exploring New Pricing Model for Businesses.
Other message categories, including marketing broadcasts and authentication one-time passwords, retain their existing fee structures. Organizations are advised to audit their messaging volume and optimize chatbot scripts to control operational expenditures under the new rules.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 30, 2026 11:37 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).