WhatsApp Templates & Billing

A template is a pre-approved WhatsApp message. WhatsApp only allows templates when a customer has not written to you in the last 24 hours. Botvee uses them for order alerts, COD confirmations, reminders and late team replies. Meta charges your own Meta account for them, not Botvee. Since 1 October 2026, Meta also charges for normal messages once a number has sent its 1,000 free ones in a month. Set them up once, right after connecting WhatsApp, and these messages will always arrive.

Before you start

• WhatsApp connected to your AI agent — See WhatsApp
• Access to Meta Business — The Facebook account you used to connect WhatsApp, for adding a payment method
• A card — Meta charges for every template, and for normal messages after the first 1,000 in a month

The 24-hour window

When a customer messages you, a 24-hour window opens. Inside it you can send normal messages. After it closes, only a template can reach them.

• Only the customer’s own messages open the window. Your messages do not
• Each new customer message restarts the 24 hours
• Each WhatsApp number gets 1,000 free normal messages a month from Meta, AI replies included. Unused ones do not carry over. From the 1,001st, Meta charges its normal rate for the customer’s country
• Always free: every message a customer sends you, and everything you send for 72 hours after a customer arrives from a Click-to-WhatsApp ad or a Facebook button
• Botvee always tries a normal message first and uses a template only when it must

How to set it up

1. 1

   Open the feature’s “Settings”

   On Recovery, Browse Abandonment, Stock Alerts, COD Confirmation or Order Details. For late team replies, open Agent Settings and look under Human Handoff

2. 2

   Find the WhatsApp template section

   It shows only when the agent has WhatsApp connected

3. 3

   Choose a language

   English or Roman Urdu

4. 4

   Click Botvee’s create button

   It is labelled with the template’s name. A preview shows the exact message Meta will review, with example values filled in

5. 5

   Click “Send for approval”

   Meta usually reviews it within minutes. It shows “Waiting on Meta” until then

6. 6

   Pick it in the dropdown

   When it shows “Approved — this one will send.”, save your settings

Templates you create yourself in Meta’s WhatsApp Manager also appear in the dropdown.

What happens next

1. 1Message needs sending
2. 2Did the customer write in the last 24h?
3. 3Yes, send a normal message
4. 4No, send the approved template

When the template goes out and the customer replies, the window opens again and normal messages can follow. For a late team reply, the template tells the customer someone has answered; their reply lets your real message through.

Botvee’s templates

Each one exists in English and Roman Urdu. A template is known by its name and its language together, so both versions can be approved at the same time.

Writing your own template in Meta

1. 1

   Open WhatsApp Manager

   Go to business.facebook.com and open WhatsApp Manager

2. 2

   Click Create template

   Under Message templates

3. 3

   Choose the category

   Utility for order and delivery messages, Marketing for promotions. The category decides the price

4. 4

   Write the message

   Parts that change, such as the product name, are written as {{1}}, {{2}}. Add a sample value for each, or Meta rejects it

5. 5

   Submit for review

   Then pick it in the feature’s Settings in Botvee once it is approved

How to add a payment method in Meta

Without a payment method, Meta still delivers a number’s first 1,000 normal messages each month, but nothing after that, and no templates at all.

1. 1

   Go to business.facebook.com

   Sign in with the Facebook account you used to connect WhatsApp

2. 2

   Open WhatsApp Manager

   From the menu in Meta Business

3. 3

   Open Billing & payments

   Under Settings

4. 4

   Click Add payment method

   Choose your country and currency. The currency cannot be changed later

5. 5

   Add a card

   Meta may take a small check charge and refund it. If you have more than one WhatsApp Business account, add it to the one connected to Botvee

6. 6

   See your costs

   WhatsApp Manager → Insights shows messages sent and what they cost

Good to know

• Meta charges per delivered message. The price depends on the customer’s country and the message type: normal, utility or marketing. Marketing costs the most
• Since 1 October 2026, utility templates are charged inside an open window too, and normal messages are charged beyond 1,000 a month per number
• The template choice is per agent and per feature, so cart reminders and order alerts can use different templates
• Botvee’s own credits are separate: each automatic message to a customer uses 2 credits, and alerts to you use no credits

Troubleshooting