WhatsApp templates and what Meta charges
Template categories, approval, the free windows, and Meta's per-message rates
Outside the 24-hour customer service window, the only message you can send on WhatsApp is a template: a message Meta has reviewed in advance, with placeholders for names, order numbers and links. Templates are also the only way to start a conversation with someone who has not messaged you first.
Categories
| Category | Use it for | Who sets it |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing | Offers, launches, re-engagement | Meta, at review |
| Utility | Order updates, reminders, confirmations | Meta, at review |
| Authentication | One-time passcodes | Meta, at review |
Write the template for what it is. Meta reclassifies a "utility" template that reads as a promotion, and marketing is the expensive category.
Creating and approving
- Templates → WhatsApp → New template. Choose the category, language, header (text, image, video or document), body with placeholders, footer and buttons.
- Submit. Meta reviews it, usually within minutes for ordinary content. The status shows as Pending, then Approved or Rejected with a reason.
- Approved templates appear in the inbox picker and in the WhatsApp template automation step.
Templates created directly in Meta's WhatsApp Manager sync into Arolead too.
What is free
- Every ordinary message inside the 24-hour window after the customer's last message.
- Utility templates sent inside that window.
- Everything for 72 hours after you reply to someone who reached you through a Click-to-WhatsApp ad or a Facebook Page button, provided you replied within 24 hours.
What Meta charges
Meta bills per delivered template message, at a rate set by the template category and the recipient's country code. Arolead adds nothing on top; the bill comes from Meta against the payment method in your Billing Hub.
For recipients in India, Meta's list rates effective 1 July 2026 are ₹0.8631 per marketing message and ₹0.1150 per utility or authentication message, plus 18% GST. Other markets are on Meta's rate card. The full explanation with worked examples is in WhatsApp API pricing in India.
The INR deadline
Every India-eligible WhatsApp Business Account must be billed in rupees by 31 December 2026. From 1 January 2027 Meta stops delivering messages from accounts that have not migrated. Do it in Meta's Billing Hub.
Plan limits
WhatsApp is on Pro (1 number, 20 templates) and Agency (3 numbers, unlimited templates).