Understand WhatsApp billing in Klaviyo

Learn how Klaviyo bills for WhatsApp, including which messages are charged, how Meta determines pricing, and where to find your current WhatsApp message rates.

Unlike channels such as email or SMS, WhatsApp is owned and operated by Meta. This means Meta determines which WhatsApp template messages are billable and how they're priced.

What types of messages are charged?

Meta charges for WhatsApp template messages rather than conversations. Pricing depends on:

• The type of template message.
• The recipient's country or region.

The following template message types may be billed:

• Marketing (also called promotional)
• Utility (also called transactional)

Each delivered marketing or utility template message is billed according to Meta's pricing rules. For non-template replies, see Service messages below.

How Klaviyo bills for WhatsApp

WhatsApp messages use Klaviyo's Mobile Messaging billing system. If your plan uses per-message pricing, each billable message has a rate in your account's billing currency based on the message type and the recipient's country or region. If your plan still uses credits, see Legacy credit pricing below.

You purchase a Mobile Messaging plan upfront, and your WhatsApp messaging spend counts toward your available Mobile Messaging plan alongside your other supported mobile messaging channels.

For more information about Mobile Messaging pricing, see FAQ: Mobile Messaging per-message pricing (2026).

Find your WhatsApp message rates

Your WhatsApp message rate depends on:

• The recipient's country or region.
• The type of message:
  • Marketing
  • Utility (transactional)
  • Service (non-template replies)

You can view the current rates for your account:

1. Go to Settings > Billing.
2. Open your WhatsApp rates using the layout you see:
   • If you have an Account usage tab, select it. Under WhatsApp usage, click View WhatsApp ratios.
   • If your billing page shows usage on Overview, click View on the Mobile messaging card. Under Historical > WhatsApp, click See rates (or See ratios for credit pricing).
3. For per-message pricing, use Country to select the recipient’s country or region and review its Total rate for each message type. For legacy credit pricing, use Search by region to find the ratios for your destination.

The rate card opens on your account’s current version. If you select another rate card version, this only changes the rates displayed; it does not change your plan.

Some countries have their own individual rates, while others are grouped into Meta's regional pricing groups. If your country doesn't have its own individual rate, use the lists below to determine which pricing group it belongs to.

Legacy credit pricing

The table below lists legacy credits per marketing or utility template message. If your plan still uses credits, check the ratios in your account for the rates that apply to your plan. Learn more about calculating legacy credits.

Service messages

Service messages are non-template replies, including messages sent through Keywords, Automations, and Inbox. Keyword responses are not billed. For replies sent through Automations or Inbox, check the Service rate in your account. If that rate is free, those replies do not use your plan’s available spend. If a rate applies, the free-message allowances below can still apply.

If you use a follow-up template in Inbox to extend a conversation, it uses template pricing and any applicable free-message exceptions.

Example: Template and service messages in an automation
Let’s say you send a marketing message through a campaign using a WhatsApp template that promotes a new product. This uses the marketing template rate unless a free-message exception applies.

If that template includes a Quick Reply button (for example, “Show me more options”), and the customer taps it, this can trigger an automation, such as a product recommendation flow. The replies sent through this automation are service messages and use your account’s Service rate, subject to free-message exceptions.

A service window does not guarantee free utility templates.
The 24-hour service window opens when a customer messages you and resets with each new message from them. Utility templates can still be billable during this window.

When you won’t be charged for WhatsApp messages

Some types of messages and delivery outcomes are not billable. The exceptions below explain when a message is free.

• A message fails to deliver.
  For example, failed delivery errors such as Message Undeliverable or In order to maintain a healthy engagement ecosystem, the message failed to be delivered are not billed.
• You have free service messages available.
  Keyword responses are not billed. Other service replies are free if your account’s Service rate is free. If a service-message rate applies, Meta provides the first 1,000 service messages per business phone number each month free. Unused free messages do not roll over. Follow-up templates in Inbox use template pricing and any applicable free-message exceptions.
• You respond to a customer who messages you from a Click-to-WhatsApp ad.
  If a customer messages you from a Click-to-WhatsApp ad in the WhatsApp Android or iOS app, respond within the 24-hour service window. Your response opens a free entry point window that can remain open for up to 7 days. Marketing and utility templates, as well as service messages, are free while that window is open. The window starts with your response, not the customer’s initial message.

Purchase a Mobile Messaging plan

To send WhatsApp messages through Klaviyo, you need a Mobile Messaging plan.

Your Mobile Messaging plan can be used across supported mobile messaging channels. As you send WhatsApp messages, the cost of each message is deducted based on your account's current rates.

If you're a contracted customer, contact your Klaviyo Customer Success Manager to update your Mobile Messaging plan.

If you're not on a contract, you can purchase or upgrade your Mobile Messaging plan at any time from Settings > Billing.

Additional resources