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WhatsApp Service Messages

What Meta's per-message charge means for your WhatsApp number​

Path: AI Configuration > Channels > WhatsApp

From October 1, 2026, Meta charges for the replies a business sends on WhatsApp. Each business number gets 1,000 free every month. To send more, you need a payment method on your Meta account, and only you can add it.

This charge is Meta's, not ReadyChatAI's

The 1,000 free messages and the price after them are set by Meta, billed by Meta to your own payment method, and they apply to every business on WhatsApp — whatever tool it uses. Your ReadyChatAI plan is separate and does not change. Meta announces it here, in its own words:

What changed, and when​

On July 1, 2026, Meta announced that it will charge WhatsApp service messages one by one, starting October 1, 2026 at 00:00 in the timezone of your WhatsApp Business Account. That is the account on Meta's side that holds your business number; Meta sometimes calls it a WABA. On September 1, 2026, Meta announced a free allowance of 1,000 a month.

This applies to the WhatsApp Business Platform, the API connection ReadyChatAI uses. The WhatsApp Business app is not billed, and your Facebook and Instagram channels are not part of this change.

What a service message is​

A free-form reply (not a template) your business sends within 24 hours of the customer's last message. In ReadyChatAI, that is:

  • every reply your AI agent sends on WhatsApp, and
  • every reply your team sends from Messages.

Each message counts, not each conversation: if the agent answers five times, that is five.

Not included:

  • Messages your customers send you. Incoming messages are free.
  • Templates, such as appointment reminders and escalation alerts. Meta bills those differently.
  • Replies inside the 72-hour free window that opens when a customer writes to you from a click-to-WhatsApp ad. Those are free.

1,000 free messages a month​

  • 1,000 free service messages per business phone number, per calendar month.
  • Meta charges from the 1,001st delivered message.
  • The count starts over every month. Unused messages do not carry over.

Without a payment method​

If your WhatsApp Business Account has no payment method, Meta delivers the first 1,000 service messages of the month and then delivers nothing more until you add one or the month resets. Your customers simply stop getting your replies.

What ReadyChatAI does​

  • When you connect WhatsApp and we can't find a payment method on your WhatsApp Business Account, we tell you by email and in the dashboard.
  • In Channels > WhatsApp, open Show More: each number's card shows "N / 1,000 free service messages this month", counting the messages sent through ReadyChatAI.
  • When a number reaches 1,000 without a payment method, we notify you and pause the AI agent on it: an AI agent paused banner appears on the number's card, and Chat Auto-Reply turns off and is greyed out. We also pause it if Meta rejects a reply because of a billing problem. Customer messages still arrive in Messages and you can answer by hand, but Meta will not deliver those replies either.
  • After you add a payment method, press Confirm billing method in Channels > WhatsApp, then turn Chat Auto-Reply back on yourself. If Meta still can't charge you, the agent pauses again.
  • If you do nothing, the agent turns back on by itself from the 1st of the next month.

How to add a payment method​

ReadyChatAI cannot add a payment method for you. Meta only lets the owner of the WhatsApp Business Account attach one.

  1. Go to business.facebook.com (Meta Business Suite) and sign in with the account that owns your WhatsApp Business Account.
  2. Open Settings, then Billing & payments (Meta's Billing Hub).
  3. Under Payment methods, add a card.
  4. In the WhatsApp Business accounts section of Billing & payments, make sure your WhatsApp Business Account uses that card.
  5. If your AI agent was paused, go back to ReadyChatAI, press Confirm billing method in Channels > WhatsApp, and turn Chat Auto-Reply back on.

What it costs above 1,000​

Each delivered service message after the first 1,000 is charged at Meta's utility and authentication rate for the country of the customer's phone number. There are no volume discounts. Meta bills your payment method directly.

Customer's countryUSD per messageUSD per 1,000
Argentina0.026026.00
Brazil0.00686.80
Chile0.020020.00
Colombia0.00080.80
Mexico0.00858.50
Peru0.020020.00
Rest of Latin America0.011311.30
North America (US, Canada)0.00343.40
Spain0.020020.00
United Kingdom0.022022.00
Rest of Western Europe0.017117.10
India0.00141.40
Pakistan0.010010.00
Rest of Asia Pacific0.011311.30
Rest of Middle East0.00919.10
Rest of Africa0.00404.00
Other0.00777.70

Rates from Meta's rate card effective July 1, 2026. Meta can update them every quarter, so check Meta's pricing page and its service message rates for current rates.

Example: 1,500 replies in a month to customers in Mexico: 1,000 are free, and 500 × $0.0085 ≈ $4.25.

Am I a heavy user?​

About 33 replies a day adds up to 1,000 a month. Your real count is in Channels > WhatsApp. If you are close to it, add a payment method before you run out. If you are well below it, the free allowance is enough, and we will tell you if you reach 1,000.

FAQ​

Does the WhatsApp Business app count? No. Only the WhatsApp Business Platform (API) connection is billed.

Do my customers' messages count? No. Only the replies you send.

I added a card mid-month. Now what? Press Confirm billing method in Channels > WhatsApp, then turn Chat Auto-Reply back on.

Does ReadyChatAI charge for this? No. Meta bills your payment method directly, and your ReadyChatAI plan does not change.

Can ReadyChatAI add the payment method for me? No. Only the owner of the WhatsApp Business Account can add it, in Meta Business Suite.

See also Channels and Media and Channel Differences.