Two timing rules decide when you can message a customer freely on WhatsApp and when you must pay for a template. Understanding them is one of the simplest ways to cut your messaging cost.
The free 24-hour service window has ended. Service replies and in-window utility templates are now billable at ₹0.115 in India, after 1,000 free per phone number a month. What it costs and what to check →
WhatsApp messaging runs on windows. When a window is open you can send freely; when it is closed you need an approved template, which you pay for. Two windows matter, and using them well keeps a large share of your messaging free.
When a customer messages you, a 24-hour window opens. Inside it you can reply with free-form messages, no template needed, and since November 2024 those service replies have been free for all businesses. Each new message from the customer resets the 24 hours. The catch: once the window closes, you cannot send a free-form message again until they write back; to reach them you must use a template.
The free 24-hour service window ended on 1 October 2026. From that date, free-form replies inside the window are billed per message at the standard rate for the recipient's market, the same way template messages are billed today. Meta published those rates on 1 September 2026 and set the service-message rate equal to the utility and authentication rate in the recipient’s market, which in India is ₹0.115. Every business phone number also gets 1,000 free service messages a month. The free ad-click window described below is unaffected and stays free for message delivery.
There is a second, more generous window. When a customer messages you from a click-to-WhatsApp ad and you reply within 24 hours, a free entry point window opens. Meta says it can stay open for up to 7 days. Inside it, even business-initiated messages are not charged. For businesses that run paid acquisition, structuring follow-up to land inside this window is a real saving.
The pattern is simple: get customers to message you first, through ads, a website widget, a QR code, or a quick reply, and then do as much as you can inside the open window. Reserve paid templates for when you genuinely need to reach someone who has gone quiet. Done well, this turns the cost structure in your favour.
Since 1 October 2026, replies inside an open window are free only up to 1,000 a month per number. Inbound-first acquisition (ads, widgets, QR codes) still saves money: customers who arrive from a click-to-WhatsApp ad get a free entry point window, and your first 1,000 service replies a month per number are free.
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