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WhatsApp Pricing

Joshua Lim Updated by Joshua Lim

Conversation-Based Pricing

Conversation-based pricing is a pricing model for the WhatsApp Business API that charges businesses based on the number of conversations they have. A conversation is defined as a period of 24-hours during which a customer and a business exchange messages. Businesses are charged for each conversation, regardless of the number of messages sent or received. We will explore further about conversation-based pricing by diving deeper into the conversation types in WhatsApp.

WhatsApp conversations can be broadly categorized into two types:

  • Service conversations
  • Business-initiated conversations

Service Conversations

Previously known as user-initiated conversations, service conversation starts when a business responds to a user/customer message within the 24-hour customer service window. Service conversations are used to solve simple enquiries. For more complicated issues that require more than a day to resolve, you will need to use a business-initiated conversation.

Service conversations will only be initiated when no other conversation window is open. If a business replies to a customer with a template message or sends a template message in an open service conversation, this will open a new conversation based on the template category.

Business-Initiated Conversations

Business-initiated conversations starts when a business messages customers using message templates. They are categorized into three categories:

  • Utility Conversations: These are conversations relating to a transaction, post-purchase notifications and recurring billing statements.
  • Authentication Conversations: These conversations enable businesses to authenticate customers with passcodes during the login process such as account registration or recovery.
  • Marketing Conversations: These are conversations to market a product or service to customers, such as relevant offers to customers who have opted in.
Learn more about the template guidelines for each category of Business-initiated conversations.

Free Tier Conversations

  • Each WhatsApp Business Account will receive 1,000 free service conversations monthly.
  • Business-initiated conversations are not included in the free tier.
Learn more about Free Tier Conversations here.

Free Entry Point Conversations

  • This conversation type only applies to call-to-actions buttons on Ads that Click to WhatsApp or Facebook Page call-to-action buttons.
  • The free conversation window period is 72-hours.
  • During this window, no other conversation category can be opened.
  • Templates are also free during this window. During this free window, businesses can send multiple templates of different categories, and no new conversation will be opened.
Learn more about Free Entry Point Conversations here.

How are Conversations being charged?

  • Conversation charges are based on the conversation category that is initiated. For example, if you send a marketing conversation message template, you will be charged a marketing conversation fee.
  • If you have an open marketing conversation template, sending another marketing conversation message template within the 24-hour marketing conversation window will not incur additional charges.
  • In an open conversation, if you send a different template category, you will be charged a new conversation fee. For example, if you have an open marketing conversation and you send a utility conversation template, you will be charged the utility conversation fee.
  • The conversation fees varies based on the customer’s country code and the conversation category initiated.

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