> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.tied.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# WhatsApp

> 2.78 billion users, a 24-hour window that governs everything, and the acquisition trick that cuts costs 60–80%.

Tied is a **Meta-approved direct BSP** — no resold infrastructure between you and WhatsApp, and no intermediate markup on Meta's fees.

WhatsApp is the default messaging app across most of Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and South Asia. If you sell outside North America, this is often not a secondary channel.

<Info>
  **2.78 billion monthly active users**, 180+ countries, and a 98% message open rate. Setup takes hours,
  not weeks — embedded signup, no carrier approval.
</Info>

## The 24-hour window governs everything

Almost every question about WhatsApp cost and behaviour comes back to one rule.

When a customer messages you, a **24-hour service window** opens. Inside it you can reply freely, in your own words, for free. **The window resets with every new customer message** — so an active support thread can run for days without costing anything.

Outside the window you cannot send free-form text at all. You must use a **pre-approved template**, and it is chargeable.

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/tied/EKg57bTFCkV_E_Je/images/diagrams/whatsapp-windows-light.svg?fit=max&auto=format&n=EKg57bTFCkV_E_Je&q=85&s=caa73fe28b49db20f6e013149bc23b8f" alt="The 24-hour service window, what it makes free, how it restarts, and the separate 72-hour free entry point window." className="block dark:hidden w-full my-8" noZoom width="900" height="470" data-path="images/diagrams/whatsapp-windows-light.svg" />

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/tied/EKg57bTFCkV_E_Je/images/diagrams/whatsapp-windows-dark.svg?fit=max&auto=format&n=EKg57bTFCkV_E_Je&q=85&s=c23c8bf99bebf9d282a17a86728f7e9a" alt="The 24-hour service window, what it makes free, how it restarts, and the separate 72-hour free entry point window." className="hidden dark:block w-full my-8" noZoom width="900" height="470" data-path="images/diagrams/whatsapp-windows-dark.svg" />

<Steps>
  <Step title="Inside the window — free">
    Free-form replies are free. Utility templates are free too.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Outside the window — template only, and charged">
    Marketing, utility and authentication templates. No free-form text is possible.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Authentication is the exception">
    Authentication templates are charged **even inside** the window. OTP traffic never rides the free
    window.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## The 72-hour window that actually saves money

When a customer reaches you through a **Click-to-WhatsApp ad or a Facebook Page CTA button**, a 72-hour Free Entry Point window opens in which *everything* is free — marketing, utility and authentication templates included.

<Check>
  **Structuring acquisition around the Free Entry Point window routinely cuts WhatsApp messaging costs
  60–80%.** It is the single largest lever on a WhatsApp bill, and it is a campaign-structure decision
  rather than a technical one.
</Check>

If you are running paid acquisition anywhere near WhatsApp, routing it through Click-to-WhatsApp rather than to a landing page changes your unit economics materially.

## Templates

Anything sent outside the 24-hour window must be a template approved by Meta in advance. Templates are submitted and tracked from within Tied — see [Message templates](/channels/templates).

Three categories, and the category determines the price:

| Category | For | Charged |
| - | - | - |
| **Marketing** | Promotions, launches, abandoned cart, re-engagement | Always |
| **Utility** | Order updates, shipping, payment confirmations | Free inside the service window |
| **Authentication** | OTP, 2FA, login verification | Always, even inside the window |

## What you can send

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Reply buttons and list messages" icon="list">
    Tappable options instead of asking the customer to type a number.
  </Card>

  <Card title="WhatsApp Flows" icon="clipboard-list">
    Multi-screen forms and workflows completed inside the thread.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Product catalogs" icon="shopping-bag">
    Single and multi-product messages pulled from your catalog.
  </Card>

  <Card title="WhatsApp Pay and payment links" icon="credit-card">
    Payment in-thread where the market supports it.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Quality rating

Meta assigns your number a quality rating based on how recipients react — blocks and reports push it down. A low rating reduces your messaging limits and, sustained, can suspend the number.

<Warning>
  **Quality rating is a real operational risk, not a vanity metric.** The fastest way to damage it is
  sending marketing templates to people who opted in for order updates. Keep consent scoped to the
  category you will actually send.
</Warning>

## Rates

Meta's fee varies by recipient **country** and message category — the recipient's country code sets the rate, not your business location. Tied adds a flat **\$0.005** per chargeable message, the same everywhere, and **\$0** for service messages.

Inbound messages are always free at both layers.

Full per-country tables: [WhatsApp channel fees](/pricing/channel-fees/whatsapp).

## Next

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="WhatsApp channel fees" icon="receipt" href="/pricing/channel-fees/whatsapp">
    Per-country rates, volume tiers, and the authentication-international rate.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Message templates" icon="file-text" href="/channels/templates">
    Creating, submitting and tracking template approval.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Campaigns" icon="megaphone" href="/campaigns">
    Broadcast and ongoing campaigns, including WhatsApp-specific rules.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Channels overview" icon="radio-tower" href="/channels">
    How WhatsApp compares to everything else.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>


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