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MESSAGE COST Available to every workspace since 27 Sep 2026

Cut billed WhatsApp messages without slowing down your support

From 1 October 2026 Meta bills every service reply after the first 1,000 free messages per number each month, whether an agent, a bot, the AI or an automation sent it. LetsBot gives you controls that send the reply that helps and skip the messages nobody needs, all in one tab where you switch on what suits you.

Get started with LetsBot Browse the controls
  • Every workspace
  • Official WhatsApp numbers (Cloud API)
  • Off until you switch it on
FahadCustomer · official WhatsApp 21:10 left

Do you have the black shoe in size 42?14:20

Queued Sends in 0:08

Yes, in stock

You wrote a second message: “arrives tomorrow”

Merge into one Send separately
Send now Undo
Free · 312 of 1,000 this month
Type your reply…
Where billed messages come from

Four sources send on your behalf, and each has its own controls

According to Meta, from 1 October 2026 every non-template message your business sends inside the 24-hour window is billed after the free allowance, at the utility rate of the recipient’s country. Read exactly what changed.

Your team

Agent replies: fewer billed messages, no slower support

Agents tend to write several short messages in a row, and after the free allowance each one is billed. These controls show the cost while typing and give your team a moment to merge messages before they reach Meta.

Send queue: undo or merge before a message goes out

Four short lines that could have been one message.

  1. Set a pause in seconds. An agent’s message waits above the composer with a countdown and two buttons: “Send now”, and “Undo”, which puts the text back in the box to be corrected.
  2. If the agent writes a second message while the first waits, they are asked: merge it into one message, send it separately, or send everything now. Nothing is ever merged automatically.
  3. When the countdown ends, the message goes out exactly as typed.

Undo works only while a message is queued: the WhatsApp Cloud API cannot delete or edit a message once it is sent.

  • Settings → Message cost
  • Off by default
  • Official WhatsApp only
  • Agents’ text messages

  • Cost chip in the composer

    Your team sees the cost before pressing Send.

    The chip shows “Free · 312 of 1,000 this month” while the number’s free allowance lasts, then an estimate of billed messages, and flags when a long reply will be split into more than one message.

    • Settings → Message cost
    • Off by default
    • Official WhatsApp only
    • Web + app

  • Confirm before sending several messages

    No batch of photos or mass forward goes out unnoticed.

    When an agent sends several messages in one action, such as a batch of photos or a message forwarded to several chats, LetsBot shows how many will go out with an estimated cost and asks to confirm.

    • Settings → Message cost
    • Off by default
    • Official WhatsApp only
    • Web + app

  • Suggest a reaction instead of a thank-you

    A warm acknowledgement without a text message.

    When an agent types only a pleasantry such as “thanks”, “ok” or an emoji, the composer suggests reacting to the customer’s last message instead. It is only a suggestion; Send works as usual.

    • Settings → Message cost
    • Off by default
    • Official WhatsApp only
    • Web + app

  • Enter adds a new line

    One reply never turns into three messages.

    Each agent can choose, in the web composer, to make Enter insert a line break and send with Ctrl or Cmd + Enter.

    • Web composer
    • Each agent’s choice
    • Web

In our tests on 23 September 2026, Meta attached no pricing to reactions; we will re-check after 1 October.

Bot & AI

Bot and AI assistant: one useful reply instead of several

Bot and AI replies are service messages too. These controls stop duplicate and unnecessary replies, and put a limit on a conversation the AI cannot finish.

One reply per incoming message

One line from a customer no longer costs three messages.

When several keyword rules match the same customer message, only the first reply is sent. Labels and agent assignment from the other matching rules still apply exactly as before.

  • Settings → Message cost
  • Off by default
  • Official WhatsApp only

No text reply to a bare “thanks” — react instead

The end of a conversation does not need another message.

The bot stays quiet when a message is nothing but a pleasantry such as “thanks”, “ok” or an emoji, and still answers “thanks, I have a question”. You can edit the phrase list, and choose to have the bot put one reaction such as ❤️ on the customer’s message so they know it arrived.

  • Settings → Message cost
  • Off by default
  • Reaction: WhatsApp only, never in groups

In our tests on 23 September 2026, Meta attached no pricing to reactions; we will re-check after 1 October.

  • AI answers in one message

    A focused answer billed as one message.

    WhatsApp measures a message in bytes, not letters, so a long Arabic answer can go out as two messages or more. With this on, the AI is asked to answer in one short message, and on official numbers a longer answer is cut at the end of a sentence.

    • Settings → Message cost
    • Off by default
    • Official WhatsApp only

  • AI reply budget, then hand over to a person

    A stuck conversation no longer burns reply after reply.

    Set how many AI replies one customer gets. When it is reached the AI leaves the chat to your team, and its last reply tells the customer so instead of sending a separate message. The count resets after a day or with a fresh conversation.

    • Settings → Message cost
    • Off by default
    • Official WhatsApp only

  • Overlapping-trigger warning in the bot builder

    Catch duplicate replies before customers see them.

    The bot builder warns when flexible-match triggers overlap, so one customer message would fire several replies. It only informs and changes no reply.

    • Bot builder
    • Off by default
    • Official WhatsApp only

The bot builder AI WhatsApp bot

Notifications

Order notifications: nothing WhatsApp will refuse, no template when a normal message will do

Order, shipping and abandoned-cart notifications depend on the 24-hour window. These controls handle the window precisely instead of sending blind.

  • 24-hour window guard for notifications

    No doomed sends that fail with error 131047.

    When a notification has no approved template and the customer has not messaged you in 24 hours, WhatsApp refuses it. With this on, LetsBot does not send it and marks it failed in the notification log with the reason, so you see which notifications need an approved template. About error 131047

    • Settings → Message cost
    • Off by default
    • Official WhatsApp only

  • Order notifications as a normal message mid-conversation

    A service message instead of a template while the window is open.

    When the customer’s window is open and will stay open for at least two more hours, an order, shipping or cart notification goes out as a normal message with your local text instead of the approved template. It changes what the customer reads, so it stays your decision.

    • Settings → Message cost
    • Off by default
    • Official WhatsApp only

  • Skip the Salla shipment PDF outside the window

    No “sent” report for a message that will never arrive.

    The Salla shipment PDF is a separate normal message after the order-status template. Outside the 24-hour window LetsBot skips it instead of sending it; the order-status template is untouched.

    • Settings → Message cost
    • Off by default
    • Official WhatsApp only

What is error 131047? The 72-hour Click-to-WhatsApp window

Automations & API

Automations and the API: daily limits and no duplicate sends

An AI assistant connected over MCP, a busy Zap or your own system on the API can send far more than you expect, with nobody watching.

A daily limit for each automation source

A busy Zap or a connected assistant never surprises you at month end.

Set the most messages MCP, Zapier and the API may each send in a day (0 means no limit). Reaching a limit only warns, and messages still go out. If you turn on “Stop sending when a daily limit is reached”, that source’s further sends are refused until midnight Riyadh time, with a clear error.

Messages from your team, your bot and your campaigns are never affected by these limits.
Source Stop off (default) Stop on
MCP connected AI assistant Warn the assistant is told; messages still go out Refuse until midnight
Zapier Warn in the Zap’s result Refuse the Zap step shows an error
API Warn in the response headers Refuse HTTP 429

No duplicate send on a retry

When a connection drops and your system retries, send the same Idempotency-Key header and the message never reaches Meta twice. Over MCP, pass the idempotency_key argument; MCP sends also get a key derived automatically. A key lasts 24 hours within your workspace.

# request (and every retry of it)
Idempotency-Key: order-4821-shipped
# retry → original response, nothing sent twice
Idempotent-Replayed: true
  • Caller opt-in
  • API and MCP

A cost estimate in every API response

With this on, every send through the API, MCP or Zapier reports how many messages WhatsApp will bill for it (a text over 4,096 bytes leaves as more than one), plus an estimated amount where a published rate exists for the customer’s country. It is an estimate, not an invoice.

{
  "estimate": true,
  "billed_messages": 2,
  "category": "service"
}
  • Settings → Message cost
  • Off by default

API documentation WhatsApp MCP Zapier

05 · Budget alert

Know when the meter starts running, before the invoice arrives

Set the number of billed service messages a month you want to be warned at. LetsBot counts the messages sent after each number’s free 1,000, across all your official numbers, and checks every hour.

  • Notices at 80% and 100%A notice at the top of the dashboard once per level each month, optionally e-mailed to the account owner.
  • An alert, not a limitNothing is blocked or delayed. The decision to reply stays with your team.
Availability

Every control at a glance

Available to every workspace since 27 September 2026 on official WhatsApp (Cloud API) numbers, and every setting is off until you switch it on.

Every control is for official (Cloud API) numbers and off by default, except duplicate-send protection, which the caller turns on by sending the key.
Control Covers Where to switch it on Works in
Send queue (undo / merge) Agents Settings → Message cost Live chat
Cost chip Agents Settings → Message cost Web + app
Multi-send confirmation Agents Settings → Message cost Web + app
Reaction suggestion Agents Settings → Message cost Web + app
Enter for a new line Each agent Composer Web
One reply per message Bot Settings → Message cost Bot
Skip “thanks”, react instead Bot Settings → Message cost Bot
AI answer in one message AI assistant Settings → Message cost AI assistant
AI budget and hand-over AI assistant Settings → Message cost AI assistant
Overlapping-trigger warning Bot Settings → Message cost Bot builder
Notification window guard Notifications Settings → Message cost Notification log
Notification as a normal message Notifications Settings → Message cost Orders and carts
Skip the Salla shipment PDF Notifications Settings → Message cost Salla
Daily automation limits MCP · Zapier · API Settings → Message cost Automations
Duplicate-send protection API · MCP Idempotency-Key Caller opt-in
Cost estimate in responses API · MCP · Zapier Settings → Message cost Automations
Monthly budget alert Every source Settings → Message cost Dashboard + e-mail
Switch it on

One tab in the dashboard and the mobile app: “Message cost”

Open Settings, then “Message cost” in the LetsBot dashboard, or the Message cost screen in the LetsBot mobile app (version 1.7.0). Every field explains in plain words what changes and what stays the same before you switch it on.

A suggested start: the cost chip, then multi-send confirmation, then one reply per message. Add an AI budget if the AI assistant answers your customers, and automation limits if you use Zapier, MCP or the API.

Plain promises

What these controls never do

  • They never stop an agent from replying to a customer.
  • They never merge an agent’s messages without asking.
  • They never recall a sent message — WhatsApp does not allow it.
  • They never show final prices: every figure is an estimate, and the invoice comes from Meta.
  • They add no markup on message fees: you pay Meta directly, and LetsBot is a Meta Business Partner.
  • They never switch themselves on: every setting is off until you turn it on.

Pricing facts are credited to Meta’s WhatsApp pricing page and its non-template messages page, checked 23 September 2026.

FAQ

WhatsApp message cost controls — frequently asked questions

Are the message cost controls on by default?

No. Every control is off by default, and nothing changes in your account until you switch it on yourself under Settings → Message cost in the LetsBot dashboard or the mobile app.

Which plans include these controls?

They have been available to every LetsBot workspace since 27 September 2026 and work on official WhatsApp (Cloud API) numbers. Some controls belong to a feature you already use: the AI reply budget applies to the AI assistant, and the automation limits apply to MCP, Zapier and the API.

Do the controls work with the QR connection?

The controls are built for the official WhatsApp Business Platform (Cloud API), because Meta’s service-message pricing applies to it. We recommend the official API to every business for its approved templates, quality rating and reliable delivery.

Can a budget or limit stop my agents from replying?

No. The monthly budget only shows a notice, and the AI reply budget hands the chat to a person. Stopping sends at a daily limit covers MCP, Zapier and API messages only, works only if you turn it on, and never touches messages from your team, your bot or your campaigns.

Can I take a message back after it is sent?

No. The WhatsApp Cloud API cannot delete or edit a message once it has been sent. That is why LetsBot offers a short queue before sending: while a message waits you can undo it, merge it or send it now, and when the countdown ends it goes out exactly as typed.

Is reacting to a customer’s message free?

In our tests on 23 September 2026, Meta attached no pricing to reactions; we will re-check after 1 October. So we offer a reaction as an optional alternative to a text thank-you, and we do not call it free until that is confirmed.

How do I know how many messages will be billed?

The cost chip in the composer shows how many of the 1,000 free service messages this number has used this month, then an estimate of billed messages. These are estimates, not prices: the final amount is on Meta’s invoice, and rates are on Meta’s official rate card.

Send only what helps your customers

Connect your official WhatsApp number to LetsBot, then switch on the controls that suit your team from one tab.

Settings Message cost

Get started with LetsBot Estimate your monthly bill

Read next

Last updated: 29 September 2026.

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