WhatsApp Business: how Meta's prices are changing

What exactly changes on October 1?

Meta is introducing two fundamental changes to how it charges for the use of WhatsApp Business Platform. Neither of these affects the regular WhatsApp app or WhatsApp Business that you use on your phone without an API connection—this is exclusive to businesses operating through the business platform, which is how the CRM tools you likely already have set up work.

1. Service messages are no longer free

A service message is any free-form response—not a template—that your team, chatbot, or AI agent sends within the 24-hour service window that opens when a customer messages you. Until today, these messages were free. Starting in October, each WhatsApp Business number receives 1,000 free service messages per month; from the 1,001st message onwards, each one will be charged at the rate in effect in the recipient's country. This allowance resets each month and does not roll over if unused.

2. Utility templates within the window are also charged

Utility templates (order confirmations, appointment reminders, service notifications) sent while the 24-hour window is still open have been free since July 2025. That also ends: starting October 1, they will be charged from the first message, with no free allowance. If your CRM automatically sends reminders or confirmations within an active conversation, each of those sends will start incurring costs from day one.

In addition, there are specific rate adjustments in some countries (some increase, others decrease depending on the message category), which depend on the market where your end customer is located—it's worth checking them if you have operations outside of Colombia.

How much could it cost you?

The actual impact depends on your conversation volume, not on whether you use WhatsApp—so there's no single figure that applies to all businesses. This table summarizes what changes and what doesn't:

To estimate your actual exposure: check how many service messages and how many utility templates within the window you sent last month in your CRM or WhatsApp Business Manager. If your service volume is well below 1,000 messages per number per month, the change will likely affect you little. If you have multiple agents or bots responding simultaneously on the same number, you're more likely to exceed the allowance quickly.

The only window that remains free

There's one scenario Meta isn't touching: the Free Entry Point (FEP). When a customer messages you after clicking on a Click-to-WhatsApp ad or the WhatsApp button on your Facebook page, a completely free 72-hour window opens—provided your business responds within the first 24 hours of that initial message.

This makes your well-configured chatbots and AI agents more than just a convenience: if they are designed to respond quickly and resolve the conversation within that window, a good portion of your ad traffic can be covered at no additional cost, even after October.

What your company should do now (before September 30)

1. Confirm that your WhatsApp Business account has an active payment method. If it doesn't, Meta may stop delivering your service messages starting October 1—this isn't an additional charge, but a requirement to continue operating.
2. Measure your actual volume of service messages and in-window Utility templates from the last month, per WhatsApp number, to determine if your operation stays within the free allowance or exceeds it.
3. Check how your CRM provider is handling the change. Tools like Respond.io, Clientify, or dFlow AI do not set the message price—Meta does—but they do define whether they charge an additional commission on your balance or offer any temporary relief during the transition. It's worth confirming with each provider before October.
4. Optimize your conversational flows. A poorly designed AI agent that needs six or eight messages to resolve what could be resolved in two will deplete the free allowance much faster and end up costing more each month.

How DAMOS supports you in this transition

At DAMOS Soluciones, we have years of experience configuring and optimizing CRMs and virtual offices for businesses that rely on WhatsApp as their primary sales and service channel. In light of this change, we help you audit your actual message volume, review your WhatsApp Business account configuration, and redesign your automation flows to make the free allowance more effective—instead of simply absorbing the additional cost without understanding its source.