WhatsApp Pricing and Billing - Full Guide

In this article, we will discuss the nitty gritties of WhatsApp pricing with Gold Star Pro.

Monthly Charge

For access to WhatsApp functionality we charge $29.99/mth. Additional fees for conversations are deducted from Company Billing within Gold Star Pro.

Conversation Based Pricing

We charge per conversation, not per individual message.

Conversations are 24-hour message threads between you and your customers. They are opened and charged when messages you send to customers are delivered. The criteria that determine when a conversation is opened and how it is categorized are explained below.

Conversation Categories

Conversations are categorized into one of the following categories:

1. Marketing — Enables you to achieve a wide range of goals, from generating awareness to driving sales and retargeting customers. Examples include new product, service, or feature announcements, targeted promotions/offers, and cart abandonment reminders.

2. Utility — Enables you to follow-up on user actions or requests. Examples include opt-in confirmation, order/delivery management (e.g., delivery update); account updates or alerts (e.g., payment reminder); or feedback surveys.

3. [To be Released] Authentication — Enables you authenticate users with one-time passcodes, potentially at multiple steps in the login process (e.g., account verification, account recovery, integrity challenges).

4. [To be Released] Service — Enables you to resolve customer inquiries.

Marketing, utility, and authentication conversations can only be opened with template messages. Service conversations can only be opened with free-form messages. See Opening Conversations below.

Opening Conversations

Conversations are opened when you send a template message or free-form message under the following conditions.

Marketing, Utility, and Authentication Conversations

Marketing, utility, and authentication conversations are opened when you send an approved marketing, utility, or authentication template message to a customer and no open conversation with that category exists between you and that customer.

For example, if an open authentication conversation exists between you and a customer and you send them another authentication template message within 24 hours, a new conversation is not opened. If you send them a marketing message, however, a new marketing conversation is opened, resulting in two open conversations.

Service Conversations

Service conversations are opened when you are within a customer service window, you send a free-form message to a customer, and no open conversation of any category exists between you and the customer.

For example, if an open conversation of any category exists between you and a customer and you send them a free-form message within 24 hours, no new conversation is opened. However, if no open conversation exists and the customer messages you (which starts a customer service window) and you reply within 24 hours with a free-form message, a new service conversation is opened.

Customer Service Windows

When a customer messages you, a 24 hour timer called a customer service window starts. If you are within the window, you can send free-form messages or template messages. If you are outside the window, you can only send template messages.

Conversation Duration

Marketing, utility, authentication, and service conversations last 24 hours unless closed by a newly opened free-entry point conversation.

Free-entry point conversations last 72 hours.

Free Entry Point Conversations

A free entry point conversation is opened if:

1. a customer using a device running Android or iOS messages you via a Click to WhatsApp Ad or Facebook Page Call-to-Action button and

2. you respond within 24 hours. If you do not respond within 24 hours, a free entry point conversation is not opened and you must use a template to message the customer, which opens a marketing, utility, or authentication conversation, per the category of the template.

The free entry point conversation is opened as soon as your message is delivered and lasts 72 hours. When a free entry point conversation is opened, it automatically closes all other open conversations between you and the customer, and no new conversations will be opened until the free entry point conversation expires.

Once the free entry point conversation is opened, you can send any type of message to the customer without incurring additional charges. However, you can only send free-form messages if there is an open customer service window between you and the customer.

For example, if the customer messages you via a Click to WhatsApp Ad at 10 am and you respond via a template message at 10 pm the same day:

• The free-entry point conversation starts at 10 pm and lasts 72 hours.

• You can send template messages at no charge in those 72 hours.

• You can send free-form messages until 10 am the next day, at which point the customer service window closes, as it is independent of the free entry point conversation (if the customer messages you again, however, it opens another 24-hour customer service window in which you can send free form messages).

Rates

Rates vary based on conversation category and country/region rate. You can see below the rate card to see our rates by country/region for each conversation category.

This is charged per conversation, not per message.

These rates apply for any conversation opened on or after June 1, 2023 at 12:00 AM, based on WhatsApp Business Account time zone.

How does the billing work?

1. The monthly charge gets you free inbound messages and responses to these messages. When the lead sends an inbound text it gives you a 24-hour window when you can text them back. The window keeps extending with every message. 

2. If you need to do outreach or if it's been more than 24 hours you will need to use a campaign/template message which is charged. That opens the conversation up for 24 hour window which again keeps extending with every message
   

3. All the outbound template messages will be charged to your account based on the Country the message is sent to and the type of Template [Marketing, Utility, Authentication and Services] used. See the pricing table above.