> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.alcmeon.ai/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # WhatsApp conversation billing: how Meta charges messages > Since October 1, 2026, WhatsApp bills every delivered business message by category and destination country, with a monthly allowance of free service messages. WhatsApp bills businesses **per delivered message**. The price depends on the message **category** and on the **destination country**. This page explains how the model works so you can predict what Meta will invoice for your WhatsApp Business account. This page describes Meta's own billing for WhatsApp conversations. It is not the same as your Simio subscription, which covers access to the Simio product. ## What gets billed Every message you send is billed under one single category. Messages your contacts send to you are never charged. | Category | What it is | Billing | | - | - | - | | **Marketing** | Template promoting a product, offer or new action. | Always charged. | | **Utility** | Template about an existing transaction or request. | Always charged, including inside the reply window. | | **Authentication** | Template carrying a one-time passcode. | Always charged. | | **Service** | Free-form (non-template) message sent inside the reply window. | Charged after the free monthly allowance. | Only **delivered** messages are charged. ### Service messages Service messages are charged at the **utility rate of the contact's country**, with no volume discount. Each WhatsApp phone number includes **1,000 free service messages per month**. Billing starts from the 1,001st delivered message. The allowance is counted per message, resets every month, does not carry over, and is not shared between phone numbers. Replies sent by your chatbots and AI agents are billed like replies sent by your team. ### Utility and authentication volume tiers In many markets, Meta lowers utility and authentication rates as your monthly volume grows. Tiers are specific to each destination market and category, are calculated across all the WhatsApp Business accounts of your business portfolio, and reset every month. Thresholds differ from one market to another, and Meta determines the tiers. **Example: utility messages to France (rates in EUR, effective October 1, 2026)** | Utility messages per month | Rate per message | vs. list rate | | - | - | - | | 1 to 100,000 | €0.0248 | – | | 100,001 to 1,000,000 | €0.0236 | -5% | | Above 1,000,000 | Lower tiers, up to -25% | See rate card | Authentication messages follow the same logic with different thresholds (for France, the first tier ends at 300,000 messages per month). To check whether tiers apply to a market and what the thresholds are, see the rate cards on Meta's [WhatsApp platform pricing](https://business.whatsapp.com/products/platform-pricing#rates) page. Rates are updated by Meta every quarter. Meta requires a valid payment method on your WhatsApp Business account. Without one, the delivery of chargeable messages may be stopped. ## The reply window When a contact messages you, a **24-hour reply window** opens. Each new message from the contact resets it. During this window you can send free-form messages. They are **no longer free**, but they are included in your monthly allowance of free service messages. Once the window closes, you can only send **template messages**, billed according to their category. ## Free entry point window If a contact reaches you through a **Click-to-WhatsApp ad** or a **Facebook Page button** and you reply in time, a free window opens during which your messages are **not charged**. This window is independent of the reply window: if the 24-hour reply window closes, you can still only send templates. ## How your template category is set Meta reviews each template and assigns its category. A template written as Utility can still be classified as Marketing, because the review is automated. The category in effect when the template is sent determines the price, so check the category Meta assigned to each approved template. If a template was classified differently than you expected, you can edit its content and submit it again for review. ## Examples | Situation | Billed | | - | - | | You send a marketing template to a customer. | 1 marketing message. | | A customer messages you. | Nothing. | | You reply to that customer with a free-form message within 24 hours. | 1 service message (free while under 1,000 per month and per number). | | Your chatbot sends 3 free-form messages within the window. | 3 service messages. | | Your automation sends a utility template within the window. | 1 utility message. | | You send a campaign on Monday and a follow-up campaign on Tuesday. | 2 messages, one per template. | | You send a one-time passcode with an authentication template. | 1 authentication message. | | A customer contacts you through a Click-to-WhatsApp ad and you reply in time. | Nothing during the free entry point window. | ## Reaching a customer after the window closes Once the 24-hour window is closed, you can no longer send free-form messages. You have two options, and they can be combined: * **Send an approved template**, for example "Do you still need help?". As soon as the customer replies, the window reopens and you can go back to free-form messages. * **Use another channel**: call, SMS, or another messaging channel you have configured. To avoid reaching that point, reply while the window is still open. Each message from the customer resets it to a full 24 hours, so an active conversation never needs a template. ## Where to see billing figures Meta bills your WhatsApp Business account directly. You track and manage those fees inside **Meta Business Manager**, not inside Simio. See Meta's [WhatsApp Business Manager billing documentation](https://www.facebook.com/business/help/488291839463554) for how to set a payment method and view invoices on Meta's side. Simio's [Analytics dashboard](/simio/platform/analytics) shows message counts and campaign performance; it does not surface Meta's per-conversation invoicing. ## Related Marketing vs Utility templates and how Meta categorizes them. Ratings and sending tiers Meta enforces alongside billing. This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.