What happens to my WhatsApp messages if I have no payment method?
Updated 30 September 2026
From 1 October 2026, replies are charged after 1,000 free ones a month. With no payment method, Meta delivers those free 1,000 and does not deliver the rest.
- Each business number gets 1,000 delivered service messages a month free. They do not roll over. After that, replies cost the same as utility messages.
- A service message is a normal reply you send inside the 24-hour window after the customer messages you.
- Another Meta page says replies stop once they become charged and does not mention the free 1,000.
- Add a payment method in Meta's Billing Hub so replies keep going out.
- In India, a business setting up its own payment method chooses: UPI top-up (prepaid) or a saved card (invoiced); it cannot switch later.
Keep orders coming if WhatsApp replies stop
Orders come in through your Menuthere ordering website, ring in the dashboard and partner app, and show customers a live status page, so none of it waits on a WhatsApp reply. Meta bills its WhatsApp fee to your own account; Menuthere takes no cut.
Next questions
Sources (3)
- Pricing on the WhatsApp Business Platform, Meta for Developers, updated 28 September 2026
- Upcoming pricing updates for Meta Business Agent, service and utility messages, Meta for Developers, updated 28 September 2026
- Prepaid billing, Meta for Developers, updated 8 September 2026