WhatsApp Conversation Categories | Based Pricing (Marketing, Utility, Service & Authentication*)

WhatsApp Conversation Categories | Based Pricing (Marketing, Utility, Service & Authentication*)

Overview

This article helps you understand the WhatsApp Business Platform’s conversation categories and how they impact template creation, communication logs, and pricing in Meritto.

Understanding WhatsApp Business Platform Conversation Categories

WhatsApp categorizes conversations into the following types:

  • Marketing
     For promotional offers, announcements, informational updates,    or invitations for customers to respond/take action. Any message that isn't utility or authentication counts as marketing.
    Example: “Enroll today to get 20% off on the application fee!”

  • Utility
    Facilitate a specific, agreed-upon request or transaction or update to a customer about an ongoing transaction.
    Example: “Your application for BBA has been successfully submitted.”

  • Authentication
    Allow businesses to verify users with one-time passcodes at various login stages (e.g., verification, recovery, integrity checks).
    Note: Currently under exploration by Meta; not yet finalized.

  • Service
    User-initiated conversations begin when a business replies to a user’s message with a non-templated (freeform) response.
    Example: Replying manually to a query like “What are the course fees?”

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Creating Utility or Marketing WhatsApp Templates

  1. Go to the left panel menu and click on Template Manager >  Manage Communication Templates

  2. Select Create Template.

  3. Choose WhatsApp Business.


  4. In the template creation screen, select the template category (Marketing, Utility, or Service).

💡  The approval for the WABA template is subject to WhatsApp's approval.

2. Check Template Categorization and Token Configuration

  • Click here to know more about template categorization by Meta.

  • Click here to understand token configuration in WABA templates.
    The WhatsApp consumption information now includes detailed categorization of marketing, utility, and service categories.

    The     Communication Logs Detailed Report now includes a detailed categorization of marketing, utility, and service conversations in the Conversation Type field.

Understanding Conversation-Based WABA Pricing

Each template category (Marketing, Utility, Service) now has its own 24-hour conversation window with separate charges.
For example, if a business sends a customer a utility message, they will be charged the utility category fee, but if 4 hours later, they send the customer a marketing message, they will also be charged the marketing category fee, and start a separate 24-hour window for marketing messages. However, if they send additional utility messages, they will not be charged again until 24 hours have passed and a new 24-hour window begins.


NotesNote: Each WhatsApp Business Account gets 1,000 free service conversations each month across all of its business phone numbers. This number is refreshed at the beginning of each month.
Marketing, Utility, and Authentication conversations are not included in the free tier.

Conclusion

By correctly categorizing WhatsApp templates and understanding the 24-hour billing logic, you can optimize message delivery, control communication costs, and maintain compliance with Meta’s guidelines within Meritto.


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