Read this first
The only rule
Meta charges you when the message is delivered. Not when you hit send. Not when the customer reads it.
And most of the time, you only pay for a template. A template is a pre-approved message you send first.
There are 3 kinds. Remember them.
Every message you send has a type. The type sets the price.
Marketing
Marketing
Sales, discounts, new drop, come buy again.
Expensive. In Egypt about $0.064 per message.
You always pay. Even if the customer texted you yesterday.
Utility
Utility
Your order is confirmed. The shipment left. Here is your receipt.
Cheap. In Egypt about $0.0036. About 18 times cheaper than marketing.
Until 30 Sep 2026: free if the customer messaged you in the last 24 hours. From 1 Oct: you pay even then.
Authentication
Authentication
Login code. OTP. Prove this is their phone.
Cheap, like utility.
You pay when it is sent outside the 24-hour window.
What is the 24-hour window?
When a customer texts you, a timer starts. For 24 hours you can reply with normal chat — text, photo, no template needed. That is the customer service window. You never pay for messages they send you.
72 free hours from an ad
If they opened WhatsApp from a Facebook or Instagram button (an ad or a Page), and you reply within 24 hours, everything you send is free for 72 hours. Even marketing templates. This does not change in October.
Ahmed’s story. 4 messages. What does he pay?
Ahmed runs a clothing store. He sends 4 messages to a customer named Sara.
| When | Who | Said | Today | From Oct 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hour 0 | Ahmed | Summer drop is live. Tap here. Marketing template | Pays marketing | Pays marketing |
| Hour 2 | Sara | Do you have my size? Customer message | Free | Free |
| Hour 3 | Ahmed | Yes. Want me to pack it? Normal reply (not a template) | Free | Pays service |
| Hour 4 | Ahmed | Your order is confirmed. #1024. Utility template | Free — she is still chatting | Pays utility |
| Hour 30 | Ahmed | Your order shipped. Arrives tomorrow. Utility template | Pays — the 24 hours ended | Pays utility |
Today Ahmed pays for 2 messages: the sale, plus the shipping update after Sara went quiet.
From 1 October he pays for 4: the sale, the chat reply, the confirmation, and the shipping update.
Prices in Egypt and the region
These are US dollars per delivered message. Meta bills in USD. Rates are from 1 July 2026. Meta can change them on the first day of a quarter.
| Market | Marketing | Utility / Auth |
|---|---|---|
| Egypt | $0.0644 | $0.0036 |
| Saudi Arabia | $0.0455 | $0.0107 |
| UAE | $0.0499 | $0.0157 |
| Rest of Middle East | $0.0341 | $0.0091 |
1,000 marketing messages to Egypt ≈ $64. 1,000 order-confirm messages ≈ $3.60.
Send more utility, pay less per message
Meta gives a volume discount on utility and authentication as your monthly count grows. Marketing never gets that discount. Normal chat replies (from October) do not get it either.
1 October 2026 — remember this date
From that day, normal chat inside the 24-hour window is no longer free. Order updates inside that chat are paid too. Messages the customer sends you stay free. The 72-hour window from ads stays free.
Add a payment method on your WhatsApp Business account before 30 September. Without it, Meta can stop delivering normal replies on 1 October.
The expensive mistake
- Using a marketing template to confirm an order. In Egypt that costs about 18 times more than a utility template.
- Sending 5 chat replies when 1 would do. From October, each reply has a price.
- Paying for a marketing template when the customer came from an ad and you are still inside the free 72 hours.
What this means for order confirmation
Confirming an order on WhatsApp is a utility message. Not marketing. Vrobo sends it at Meta’s official rate with no markup. If the customer replies, we continue the chat. From October, extra messages cost money — so automation that keeps the chat short actually saves cash.
Start confirming ordersNo markup on Meta’s rate
Source: Meta’s official WhatsApp Business Platform pricing docs. developers.facebook.com
Rates can change on 1 January / April / July / October. The official Meta rate card is the bill. This article is a plain-language guide, not an invoice.