Service conversation
A service conversation is one the customer started: they messaged the business, the 24-hour window opened, and the business replied with free-form messages. Free in India until 2026-10-01; from then each business reply inside the window is charged ₹0.115.
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The October change
Until October 2026 the first thousand service conversations a month were free and the rest nearly so. Meta's per-message pricing charges each reply instead, which makes an AI that answers in one good message cheaper than a bot that answers in five.
Free entry points
A conversation opened from a Click-to-WhatsApp ad or a Facebook Page call-to-action button is a free entry point: 72 hours of free replies rather than 24, because the ad already paid for it.
What is a service conversation on WhatsApp?
A conversation the customer starts: their message opens a 24-hour window in which the business replies free-form. It is the one kind of WhatsApp conversation a business does not need a template or an opt-in for.
Are service messages free?
Not since 1 October 2026: Meta now charges each reply inside the window at the utility rate — ₹0.115 in India before GST — with no volume tiers. The customer's own messages stay free.
What is the difference between a service conversation and a utility conversation?
Who starts it. A service conversation is opened by the customer and answered free-form; a utility conversation is opened by the business with a utility template about the customer's transaction, and is charged per message.
Does a Click-to-WhatsApp ad open a service conversation?
It opens a free entry point: 72 hours in which every message, template or free-form, is free — better than a service conversation, and unchanged by the October pricing.
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Nearby terms
See it in a product. Linkubit answers, qualifies and quotes on WhatsApp from your catalogue, and adds nothing to Meta’s per-message price. Start free — fourteen days of Pro, no card — or read the pricing.
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