72h Click-to-WhatsApp ads · a practical guide
The 72-hour free entry point window for Click-to-WhatsApp ads: what it allows, and what it doesn’t
When a customer messages you from a Click-to-WhatsApp ad and you reply within 24 hours, Meta opens a 72-hour window in which your messages are free. But it is a pricing window only: 24 hours after the customer’s last message, WhatsApp accepts nothing from you but an approved template. Here are both rules, how LetsBot shows the window to your team, and how to use it without wearing out your customers.
Source: the free entry point section of Meta’s pricing page · checked 23 September 2026
Hi, is the grey coat available in size M?09:14
Three conditions open the free window
Meta calls it the “free entry point” (FEP) window. When all three conditions hold, Meta says you can send any type of message at no charge for 72 hours from your reply.
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The customer comes from a qualifying entry point
A Click-to-WhatsApp ad, or the call-to-action button on a Facebook Page. These are the two Meta names.
Source: the free entry point section of Meta’s pricing page · checked 23 September 2026
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They message you from the mobile app
From the WhatsApp app on Android or iOS. WhatsApp Web and the desktop app are not supported.
Source: the free entry point section of Meta’s pricing page · checked 23 September 2026
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You reply within 24 hours
With any type of message. Your reply is free, and the 72-hour window starts from it.
Source: the free entry point section of Meta’s pricing page · checked 23 September 2026
One window decides price, the other decides what you may send
Meta says the customer service window is independent of the free entry point window. The first starts from the customer’s message, the second from your reply, so they usually end at different times.
- 0hThe customer taps the ad and messages you. The customer service window (24 hours) opens.
- 4hYou reply within 24 hours. Your reply is free, and the 72-hour window starts from it.
- 24hThe customer service window closes unless the customer writes again. From here, templates only — free, according to Meta.
- 76hThe 72-hour window ends and normal pricing returns.
Illustrative example with hypothetical times. Every new customer message reopens the customer service window for 24 hours. Meta’s customer service window rule
“Free” does not mean “allowed”: error 131047 inside the 72-hour window
Many people believe the 72-hour window lets them send anything. In a live test on an official number on 23 September 2026, we sent free-form text to a customer who came from an ad, after 24 hours had passed and while the 72-hour window was still open. WhatsApp refused it within a second with error 131047.
Meta says the same: once the customer service window closes, you can only send templates. The fix is simple: after 24 hours, send an approved template — which, according to Meta, is free while the 72-hour window is open.
I’ll think about it and get back to you09:40
Day 2Hi Nora, still interested in the coat? Not sent · 131047 11:30
Template · order follow-up Hi Nora, the coat you asked about is still available in your size. Delivered · inside the ad window 11:32
Source: a live LetsBot test on an official WhatsApp number · 23 September 2026
Your team sees the deadline before they type
LetsBot records the ad click the moment the customer arrives on an official WhatsApp (Cloud API) channel. The cost chip in the composer then shows the window’s state in plain words, on the web and in the mobile app.
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Before you reply
This customer came from a WhatsApp ad. Reply before this time and the reply is free and opens 72 hours in which every message is free (provided they wrote from the mobile app). After it, the chance is gone.
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After you reply
The window is open, and the chip shows when it ends. Remember: 24 hours after the customer’s last message, you need an approved template.
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When sending to several chats
The multi-send confirmation takes ad customers into account when it estimates billed messages. Meta confirms the price only when the message is sent.
Availability: official WhatsApp (Cloud API) channels in every workspace. The ad click is recorded automatically; the chip itself is off by default and is turned on in Settings → Message cost.
The 24-hour window vs the 72-hour window
| Item | Customer service window (24 h) | Free entry point window (72 h) |
|---|---|---|
| What it decides | What you can send | The price |
| When it starts | With every message the customer sends. | When you reply, within 24 hours, to a customer from a qualifying entry point. |
| How long | 24 hours from the customer’s last message. | 72 hours from your reply. |
| What is allowed | Any message, including free-form text. After it closes: approved templates only. | It does not change what is allowed. Free-form text after 24 hours fails with error 131047. |
| Who it applies to | Every conversation on the WhatsApp Business Platform. | Customers from Click-to-WhatsApp ads and the Facebook Page button, on the mobile app. |
| After it ends | Templates only, until the customer writes again. | Normal pricing for service messages and templates returns. |
Meta’s rate card by country Estimate your bill with the calculator
How to make the most of the 72-hour window in five steps
The window is won by speed and kept by restraint: reply fast, finish inside 24 hours, and follow up with one considered template.
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Connect an official number and turn on the cost chip
The free window is part of the official WhatsApp Business Platform’s pricing. Turn on the cost chip in Settings → Message cost, so your team sees which customers came from an ad and when their chance runs out.
Settings → Message cost -
Answer ad leads first
A fast reply is what opens the window. Set up your inbox so ad conversations are seen first, and make the first reply useful, not just a greeting.
Live chat -
Finish the conversation inside 24 hours
Answer questions and send prices, photos and links as free-form text while the customer service window is open. Every new customer message reopens it for 24 hours.
24-hour window badge -
Follow up with an approved template after 24 hours
If the customer goes quiet, send one follow-up as an approved template. According to Meta, it is free while the 72-hour window is open.
Templates -
Don’t send more just because it’s free
One considered follow-up beats a string of messages. Blocks and reports lower your number’s quality rating, which matters more than any free message.
Quality rating
“Free” does not mean “unlimited”. Too many proactive messages lead to blocks and reports, and those are what lower your number’s quality rating and limit your sending later.
Ready-made WhatsApp template examples Bulk messaging with templates
The 72-hour Click-to-WhatsApp window — frequently asked questions
Can I send free-form text for free on day 2 of the 72-hour window?
No. The free entry point window only decides price; what you can send is decided by the customer service window (24 hours from the customer’s last message). In a live test on 23 September 2026, free-form text sent after 24 hours inside the 72-hour window failed with error 131047. Once the 24-hour window closes, send an approved template — according to Meta, messages are free while the 72-hour window is open.
When do the 72 hours start?
According to Meta, the window starts when you reply, not when the customer taps the ad. Your reply has to come within 24 hours of the customer’s message, and that reply is itself free.
Which ads and buttons open the free window?
Meta names two entry points: a Click-to-WhatsApp ad and the call-to-action button on a Facebook Page. The customer must message you from the WhatsApp app on Android or iOS; WhatsApp Web and the desktop app are not supported.
Does a customer who comes from Instagram count?
Meta does not list Instagram among the entry points in its free entry point section; the two it names are a Click-to-WhatsApp ad and a Facebook Page call-to-action button. So do not count on the free window for a customer who reached you through another link or button, and check Meta’s page for updates.
What happens if I answer an ad lead after 24 hours?
The free window is lost, because Meta requires a reply within 24 hours. The customer service window has also closed unless the customer wrote again, so you can only send a template, charged at the normal rate.
How does LetsBot show that a customer came from an ad?
LetsBot records the ad click when the customer arrives on an official WhatsApp (Cloud API) channel. With the cost chip turned on in Settings → Message cost, the composer shows “First reply free until” the deadline before you reply, then “Free until … · ad” once the window is open — on the web and in the mobile app.
Does free mean I can send as much as I like?
No. Free is about price only. Too many proactive messages lead customers to block and report you, and that is what lowers your number’s quality rating. Send only what helps the customer, even when it is free.
Does LetsBot add a markup on message fees?
No. You pay Meta directly for messages and LetsBot adds no markup on them. LetsBot is a Meta Business Partner, and the free window is part of Meta’s pricing for the official WhatsApp Business Platform.
Don’t leave an ad lead waiting
Connect your official WhatsApp number to LetsBot and turn on the cost chip, so your team knows when a reply is free and when a template is needed.
Settings Message cost
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Last updated: 29 September 2026. We will review this page after 1 October 2026. If anything differs, Meta’s official page is the reference.