Meta Introduces New Charges for Business WhatsApp Messages in Iraq
Meta will implement a new fee system for certain messages sent via the WhatsApp Business Platform starting October 1. This change primarily affects companies and organizations that use the platform to manage large volumes of customer conversations and automated support services. Under the new system, service messages sent by businesses to customers will incur charges after the first 1,000 free messages per month per business number are used. This change applies only to the WhatsApp Business API platform and does not affect the regular WhatsApp Business app used on phones. Additionally, customers sending messages to businesses will not be charged. The cost of messages varies depending on the recipient's country, not the company's location. In Iraq, the fee per service message after the free quota is 0.0079 USD. This pricing is part of a tiered structure that includes countries such as Egypt, Algeria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Morocco, while Syria is currently not eligible for WhatsApp Business Platform messages. For 10,000 chargeable messages, the approximate cost in Iraq is 79 USD, with different rates in other countries. Marketing messages are subject to higher fees, varying by market, ranging from 0.0225 USD in Algeria to 0.0644 USD in Egypt. This update reflects Meta's shift to a new model that charges for business messages based on their type, volume, and recipient country, replacing the previous system that exempted some service messages from fees. The traditional WhatsApp Business app will continue to operate without per-message charges, with fees mainly targeting companies using the WhatsApp Business API platform.
