Starting on February 1st, 2022, Facebook will implement a new conversation-based pricing model for all businesses globally sending WhatsApp messages. WhatsApp Business Accounts will be charged per conversation depending on who initiates a conversation, you (business-initiated) or your customer (contact-initiated). This new pricing structure includes free benefits such as Message Templates and 1000 monthly conversations. Message Templates currently charge a fee.
Basics of Conversation-based Pricing Model
Depending on who initiates a conversation, WhatsApp conversations are divided into two categories: Business-Initiated and Contact-Initiated.
Business-initiated: A business starts a conversation by sending a message to the contact for the first time, or 24 hours after the contact's last message (24-hour messaging window). Business-initiated conversations must be sent via a Message Template.
Contact-initiated: service conversations will still only be initiated when no other conversation window is open and a business responds to a user with a free form message within the 24-hour customer service window. If a business replies to a user with a template message or sends a template message in an open service conversation, this opens a new conversation based on the template category.
All conversations are measured in fixed 24-hour sessions.
A single Conversation is a messaging session that lasts 24 hours and starts when either of two events happens:
- Business proactively messages contact that is outside the 24-hour messaging window (“Business-initiated conversations”)
- Business responds to contact’s inquiry within 24 hours (“Contact-initiated conversations”).
The first message in the session is paid.The following messages sent within the 24-hour session are free.
The final price for a single conversation of either type depends on the country code of the contact’s number. The list of country-specific price rates can be found here.
⚠️ NOTE! The charges will vary depending on who initiated the conversation: the business or the contact. Replying to contact-initiated conversations will cost less.
How do I pay? Similar to Message Templates, use your Manychat Wallet to load funds and maintain your WhatsApp automation without interruptions. Funds will be deducted from your Wallet immediately after the conversation starts. 1 transaction record in your usage history = 1 conversation.
Conversation Examples
Business-initiated (outbound conversation)
Business initiates the conversation using a Message Template.
When a flight is delayed or its status changes, Commercial Air alerts customers who have opted in to receive notifications using a message template. This starts a business-initiated conversation.
Commercial Air can send as many messages as needed during this single 24-hour conversation session. It will result in only one business-initiated conversation charge.
In this scenario, Commercial Air notifies Anne that her flight is delayed by 30 minutes. Commercial Air will be charged for one business-initiated conversation for the delivery of these two Message Templates as they were both delivered to Anne within one 24-hour conversation session.
Contact-initiated (inbound conversation)
Customer care or general support inquiries in a single 24-hour conversation session.
- The customer messages the business with a question about an upcoming reservation. When Commercial Air’s reply message is delivered, it starts a customer-initiated conversation.
- There is no charge for individual messages within a 24-hour conversation, and no limit on the number of messages that can be exchanged in a single conversation.
- If the business continues to exchange messages with the customer after the initial 24-hour conversation session, WhatsApp will charge a fee to start a new business-initiated conversation. The business is required to use the Message Template.
In this scenario, customer gets the info about their reservation and the business pays for one contact-initiated conversation.
Free Conversations
The first 1,000 conversations per month are free for your business. Each WhatsApp Business Account gets 1000 free tier conversations. Free conversations can only be contact-initiated.
⚠️ NOTE! If you have several Manychat accounts connected to one WhatsApp Business Account the number of free conversations will still be 1000 per month and distributed among all connected Manychat accounts on a first-come, first-served basis.
Besides receiving 1000 free WhatsApp conversations a month, conversations will not be charged when contacts message you using call-to-action buttons on Click-to-WhatsApp Ads or to a Facebook Page call-to-action button. Subsequent messages are charged.
Free conversations can only be contact-initiated. They're free for 72 hours if the business answers within 24 hours of receiving a message from the customer through an Ad or a direct message. It's called 'Free entry point conversation'. They're free for any subsequent messages per user / per account as long as all the criteria (user started — business answered in 24 hours) are met.
Those conversations are as free as long as there are some free conversations left in your account.
How Will This Impact Your Business?
- If you are sending multiple messages or Broadcasting messages on WhatsApp you will now pay for a single conversation per contact for starting the conversation.
- If you are sending messages over multiple 24-hour periods (e.g. 7-day challenge sequence or similar drip campaigns), you will now pay for each conversation.
- If your Automation is responding to incoming contact-initiated messages, then you will be charged for contact-initiated conversation per the price list.
⚠️ NOTE! If you are using the Default Reply feature for your WhatsApp business, then you will also be charged for a contact-initiated conversation when you respond to incoming contact-initiated messages with a Default Reply.