Meta charges for a template message when it is delivered, at a rate set by the template's category and the recipient's country, and a template is charged even when it is sent inside an open customer service window.
Since 1 October 2026, Meta also charges for replies that are not templates, sent within the 24-hour customer service window, after a free tier of 1,000 a month for each business phone number.
When a customer messages you from a click-to-WhatsApp ad on Meta's Android or iOS app and you reply within the customer service window, that reply is not charged and opens a free entry point window of up to 7 days, in which Meta does not charge for marketing, utility, authentication or service messages.
With direct billing, Meta bills your messages to your own WhatsApp Business Account at Meta's own rates, and the plan price is what you pay RelayPlus. Without a payment method on that account in Meta's Billing Hub, Meta delivers replies that are not templates only within the free 1,000 a month.