Nigerian businesses using WhatsApp to communicate with customers will face new costs starting October 1, 2026. Meta will charge for customer service replies through the WhatsApp Business Platform API, ending a free service that began in November 2024.
This change affects any business that uses WhatsApp’s API, including banks, fintechs, telecom companies, e-commerce sites, and logistics firms. However, regular WhatsApp users will not be affected.
Meta has not yet announced specific rates for Nigeria, but they will provide updated pricing by September 1, giving businesses a month to prepare. Based on rates from other markets, businesses can expect two main charge categories:
Utility Rate: This covers messages like payment confirmations and order updates sent within a 24-hour customer service window. Estimated cost: around ₦10 per message.
Marketing Rate: This applies to promotional messages sent outside the service window and will be significantly more expensive, estimated at around ₦51 per message.
Businesses should prepare for these changes in costs as the date approaches.
Similar read: WhatsApp is not charging users a mandatory fee, but there’s a new subscription to know about
What this means for vendors using WhatsApp Business
As businesses grow, messaging costs can become significant. For example, a fintech company sending 100,000 transactional messages a month could face an extra cost of around ₦1 million, while a marketing campaign of the same volume might cost over ₦5 million.
Smaller businesses using the app’s API for customer support may find these costs manageable, but larger companies, like banks sending millions of alerts or e-commerce platforms confirming orders, will need to budget for these expenses since they can add up quickly.
Previously, messages within a 24-hour customer service window were free, but now every outgoing reply from a business will incur a charge, regardless of who started the conversation. Meta, the parent company, argues that this pricing change reflects the value these messages provide to businesses.
Nigerian businesses have about six weeks to review their WhatsApp setup and assess messaging costs before Meta releases the final rates on September 1.
Also read: WhatsApp rolls out browser calling, waiting rooms and other call features
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