Click-to-WhatsApp ads: up to 7 days of free messaging
When someone messages you from a click-to-WhatsApp ad and you reply, Meta opens a free entry point window: for up to 7 days it charges nothing for any message you send them. Here are the rules, the conditions that catch people out, and what it's worth.
Updated October 2026
How the free window opens, and when it closes
- 1
A customer messages you from the ad
They tap a click-to-WhatsApp ad on Facebook or Instagram and send the first message, from the WhatsApp app on Android or iOS.
- 2
You reply within 24 hours
Your reply has to land inside the 24-hour customer service window. That reply opens the free entry point window.
- 3
Up to 7 days free
From your reply, the window may stay open for up to 7 days. Every message you send in it is free: offers, updates, codes and replies.
- 4
After the window
Normal pricing returns: templates at their category rate, and replies within 24 hours of the customer's last message as service messages (1,000 free per number a month, effective 1 October 2026).
Conditions that close the window before it opens
Meta's pricing docs set a few conditions. Miss one and you pay normal rates:
- 1
The customer must message from the ad in the WhatsApp mobile app. Desktop and web aren't supported.
- 2
You must reply within 24 hours of their message. A slow first reply means no free window.
- 3
Messages sent by a Meta Business Agent (Meta's own AI agent) are still charged.
- 4
The window is for that customer only; it doesn't make your campaigns to other contacts free.
What the same follow-up would cost outside the window
One ad lead followed up with 2 offers, 1 booking update and 8 replies, at Meta's rates effective 1 October 2026 (replies counted as charged). Inside the free window, all of it is $0.
| Lead's country | Outside the window | 100 leads | Inside the window |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States & Canada | $0.08 | $8.06 | $0.00 |
| United Kingdom | $0.32 | $32.50 | $0.00 |
| Germany | $0.77 | $76.80 | $0.00 |
| United Arab Emirates | $0.26 | $25.65 | $0.00 |
| Saudi Arabia | $0.21 | $21.15 | $0.00 |
| Brazil | $0.19 | $18.62 | $0.00 |
| Mexico | $0.16 | $15.59 | $0.00 |
| Indonesia | $0.31 | $30.72 | $0.00 |
| India | $0.04 | $3.62 | $0.00 |
Assumes the replies fall outside the monthly free tier; for a small business they'd often be free anyway. The real saving is the offers and updates, which are free only inside the window.
Make every ad lead count
- 1
Instant reply
Mywa's new ad lead automation answers each lead in seconds, day or night, so the 24-hour deadline is never missed.
- 2
Qualify inside the window
Buttons and short questions capture what the lead wants while every message is free.
- 3
Hand over to your team
Serious leads are assigned to a person in the shared inbox, or called on WhatsApp from the browser.
- 4
Tell Meta which leads were real
The Meta Conversions API connection reports qualified leads and purchases back to Meta, so your ads find more people like them.
Frequently asked questions
Up to 7 days, counted from your first reply, as long as you reply within 24 hours of the customer's message. Meta's docs say the window “may remain open for up to 7 days”.
All of them: marketing, utility, authentication and service messages. Only messages from a Meta Business Agent are still charged.
No. The customer has to message from the ad in the WhatsApp app on Android or iOS; desktop and web apps aren't supported.
Meta's normal rates. In the US, $0.025 per marketing message and $0.0034 per utility message, effective 1 October 2026. Inside the window, nothing.
Grow on WhatsApp,
without the chaos.
Bring your team into one inbox, launch your first campaign, and let the follow-ups run themselves.