Does the 24-hour window reset if the customer messages again?

Yes. Meta's pricing page states that the window resets with each user message, so an active conversation keeps it open — the clock runs from the customer's most recent message rather than their first one.

Is a message from the customer to me charged?

No. Meta charges for messages delivered to users, not for messages users send you. Inbound is free, and it is also what opens the service window in the first place.

What counts as a service message rather than a template?

A service message is a free-form reply you write inside the 24-hour window — no pre-approval, no fixed structure. A template is a message Meta approved in advance, which is what you must use once the window has closed. The distinction is about approval, not about the wording.

Am I charged when a message is sent or when it arrives?

On delivery. Meta's pricing page is explicit that it charges when a message is delivered, not when it is sent — so an undelivered message is not billed.

The WhatsApp Business 24-hour rule, explained

What opens the window

A customer messaging your business opens a 24-hour customer service window. Meta's own description: “When users message a business, this opens a 24-hour customer service window during which businesses can respond with service messages, at no charge.”

It resets every time they message you again. So an active back-and-forth keeps the window open indefinitely — the clock runs from their last message, not from the first.

What you can send, inside and outside

Inside the window

You can reply freely, in your own words, with no pre-approved template. This is what “free-form” and “service message” mean — an ordinary reply written by an agent or generated by a bot.

Today these cost nothing, however many you send.

Outside the window

You can only send a template Meta has approved in advance, and it is billed by category — marketing, utility or authentication — and by the recipient's country.

You cannot simply write to a customer who has gone quiet. That, rather than the price, is what the rule is for.

There is one exception Meta publishes: when a customer reaches you from an ad that clicks to WhatsApp, or a Facebook Page call-to-action button, none of your messages are charged for the following 72 hours. Meta does not say whether that survives the October change, so we are not going to guess.

What changes on 1 October 2026

The window itself does not change. What changes is that replying inside it stops being free: from 1 October 2026 Meta charges per message for service replies, and utility templates lose their free-inside-the-window status too. Marketing and authentication pricing are unchanged.

The per-country rates that will actually apply are published by Meta on 1 September 2026. Until then any October figure — ours included — is an estimate, and we say so wherever one appears.

Worth knowing while you plan: as of today Meta's own pricing page still says it does not charge for service messages, with no indication that it is about to.

Meta's documentation on the change Meta's pricing page

Why this decides your bill

A business whose customers start most conversations has been paying Meta almost nothing: the inbound message is free, and every reply inside the window is free. From October, each of those replies is billed at the country's utility rate.

That is a large relative increase on a small number. For a support-led business it can be several times the current Meta bill and still come to less than the software subscription sitting on top of it — which is why the number worth working out is the whole bill, not this one line.

Work out your monthly cost →See Meta's rates by country

Also asked

Frequently asked questions

Does the 24-hour window reset if the customer messages again?: Yes. Meta's pricing page states that the window resets with each user message, so an active conversation keeps it open — the clock runs from the customer's most recent message rather than their first one.
Is a message from the customer to me charged?: No. Meta charges for messages delivered to users, not for messages users send you. Inbound is free, and it is also what opens the service window in the first place.
What counts as a service message rather than a template?: A service message is a free-form reply you write inside the 24-hour window — no pre-approval, no fixed structure. A template is a message Meta approved in advance, which is what you must use once the window has closed. The distinction is about approval, not about the wording.
Am I charged when a message is sent or when it arrives?: On delivery. Meta's pricing page is explicit that it charges when a message is delivered, not when it is sent — so an undelivered message is not billed.