This pricing change was announced in a July update, indicating that service message charges would resume after a previous hiatus. Companies relying on the platform, including banks, fintechs, and e-commerce firms, will be particularly affected.
The upcoming charges will not impact regular WhatsApp users or most small businesses using the standard WhatsApp Business app. Currently, businesses can respond to customer messages within a 24-hour service window without incurring costs.
From October 1, however, businesses will be charged on a per-message basis for service messages sent during this window. Meta clarified that this aligns with existing charges for template messages.
Utility messages, such as payment confirmations and order updates, will also incur costs starting October 1. Businesses and Solution Providers need to ensure they have a payment method set up by September 30, or risk losing message delivery.
For Nigerian businesses, a utility or service message is expected to cost approximately $0.0101 (about ₦14), while marketing messages will be priced much higher at around $0.062 (approximately ₦84).
While the cost per message seems minimal, it can add up significantly for businesses sending large volumes of messages. For instance, a fintech sending 500,000 chargeable messages could face roughly $5,050 in fees, translating to around ₦6.8 million.
This move is part of Meta's broader strategy to shift business messaging towards a per-message pricing model, impacting companies that heavily depend on WhatsApp for customer interactions.
As the October deadline approaches, businesses must adjust their budgets to account for these new operational costs.
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