Contents
- How much does the module cost?
- Can I connect multiple numbers?
- How much does messaging a customer cost?
- Are messages to a customer who arrives from an ad charged?
- What is the customer service window?
How much does the module cost?
The WhatsApp Business API module subscription is charged per connected channel, separately from message charges. A channel is one phone number connected to the module. Check the module’s connection terms before activating it.
Can I connect multiple numbers?
Yes. Numbers are added through your 360dialog account.
Note
If your Facebook Business account is not verified, you cannot connect more than two numbers.
See the 360dialog documentation for details about these restrictions.
How much does messaging a customer cost?
WhatsApp communication is charged per message, rather than for opening a conversation. Template messages have been charged since July 1, 2025. From October 1, 2026, delivered Service/Support messages are also charged once the free monthly allowance has been used.
Template message categories
- Marketing: promotions, offers, invitations, product updates, welcome messages and other commercial messages. Sending is subject to marketing limits.
- Authentication: one-time access codes and account verification or recovery messages.
- Utility: purchase notifications, payment statements and information about payments or outstanding amounts.
The business specifies the template category before submitting it for verification. If the category does not match the content, the template is rejected.
Service/Support messages are ordinary messages sent without a WhatsApp template while a 24-hour customer service window is open. They are not a template category.
Message rates
In Simla, chargeable messages use Meta’s official rates with a 10% markup. The rate depends on the message category and the recipient’s country or market.
To check a price, select the country or market, currency and category in Meta’s rate cards. A chargeable message in Simla costs the applicable Meta rate multiplied by 1.10.
Each WhatsApp Business number includes 1,000 free delivered Service/Support messages per month. From the 1,001st delivered message that month, the applicable Meta rate plus the 10% markup is charged. Undelivered messages are not charged.
Pricing rules within an open window
A customer message opens a 24-hour customer service window. Each subsequent customer message resets it for another 24 hours.
- Template messages: charged according to their category, including utility messages sent within the customer service window.
- Service/Support messages: use the free monthly allowance of 1,000 delivered messages per number. Once the allowance has been used, further delivered messages are charged at Meta’s rates plus the 10% markup.
- Volume discounts: see Meta’s documentation for current tiers and rates for the relevant market and category.
An open service window lets you send messages without a template, but does not make them automatically free. The exception is the free advertising window described below.
Are messages to a customer who arrives from an ad charged?
When a customer arrives in WhatsApp from an ad, the free advertising window lasts 7 days. During this window, template messages in all categories and Service/Support messages are free. Service/Support messages sent within it do not use the monthly allowance of 1,000 messages.
The free advertising window determines pricing. Sending messages without a template still requires an open 24-hour customer service window.
See Meta’s documentation for the conditions of other free entry points.
What is the customer service window?
The customer service window is a 24-hour period during which the business can send Service/Support messages without templates. It opens when a customer message is received and resets for another 24 hours with each new customer message.
The open window determines whether messages can be sent without a template, not whether they are free. Each number includes 1,000 free delivered Service/Support messages per month; further messages use Meta’s rate plus the 10% markup. Messages within the free advertising window are not charged and do not use that allowance.
Once the service window closes, the business must send a template message to resume communication. Closing the window does not create a new paid conversation: messages are charged according to the pricing rules.