Charges from Meta for Automation & Template Messages
> 💡 Quick Summary: Meta charges per conversation based on your template category. But here's the money-saver: if your customer replied within the last 24 hours, ABC Sales AI sends your automation messages for free as regular messages instead of charged templates!
1. The Basics: Meta Charging Structure
When you send a message to a customer using WhatsApp API, Meta charges you per conversation depending on the category of the template used.
| Template Type | Cost | Use For |
| ------------- | --------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Utility | $0.014 ≈ RM0.06 | Transaction confirmations, post-purchase updates, account notifications |
| Marketing | $0.086 ≈ RM0.40 | Promotions, offers, new product announcements |
How to differentiate:
Inside ABC Sales AI, navigate to your Templates tab. Look at the Category column:
- "M" Tag: Indicates a Marketing template (Higher Cost)
- "U" Tag: Indicates a Utility template (Lower Cost)
2. The "ABC Sales AI Advantage": The 24-Hour Rule
> 💰 This is where ABC Sales AI saves you money. Meta has a 24-hour Customer Service Window that starts from the customer's last reply.
- Outside the 24-Hour Window: You must use a Template Message → You are Charged
- Inside the 24-Hour Window: You can send automation/blasts as "Normal Messages" → You are NOT Charged by Meta
When are you charged?
Scenario A: The Window is CLOSED 🔴 (Charged)
- Status: More than 24 hours have passed since the customer last replied.
- Cost: If you blast this customer now, you WILL BE CHARGED because the system must send a Template to re-open the conversation.
Scenario B: The Window is OPEN 🟢 (Free)
- Status: The customer replied less than 24 hours ago.
- Cost: If you run an automation or blast to this customer now, ABC Sales AI sends it as a standard message. You WILL NOT BE CHARGED the template fee.
3. Real-World Scenario: Appointment Booking Example
| Step | Action | Timeframe | Window Status | Cost Status |
| ---- | ---------------------------------------------- | -------------- | -------------------- | ----------------------- |
| 1 | Customer books an appointment for next Monday. | Monday (Day 0) | 🔴 Closed | Charged |
| 2 | You send a meeting confirmation immediately. | Monday (Day 0) | N/A | Included in Step 1 cost |
| 3 | You send a "1-Day Before" reminder. | Sunday (Day 6) | 🔴 Closed (>24h) | Charged ($0.014) |
| 4 | Customer replies to the reminder. | Sunday (Day 6) | 🟢 Window Opens! | Free |
| 5 | You send a "1-Hour Before" reminder. | Monday (Day 7) | 🟢 Open (<24h) | NOT CHARGED 🎉 |
> 🎯 The Bottom Line: Because the customer replied to your Day 6 reminder, your Day 7 reminder was sent completely free. ABC Sales AI automatically detects the open window and sends it as a regular message instead of a template. That's $0.014 saved per conversation—and it adds up fast!