Will Meta bill your WhatsApp template as marketing or utility?
Paste a template to see which category it most likely falls into under Meta's guidelines, why, and what it costs per message. One promotional line can turn a utility message into a marketing one, at several times the price.
Most likely category
Marketing- It has promotional or persuasive wording (an offer, a discount, a call to buy). Meta treats any template with promotional content as marketing, even if the rest is an order update.
Words that decided it: 15% off
| Rate per message | AED 0.2115 |
|---|---|
| A month at your volume | AED 1,058 |
| Extra versus utility | AED 769 |
Meta's three paid template categories
| Category | What belongs in it | What pushes it out |
|---|---|---|
| Utility | Order and delivery updates, booking confirmations and reminders, payment and account alerts, opt-in confirmations, feedback on a specific order. | Any promotional or persuasive line, generic surveys, or content that is not specific or essential to the customer. |
| Authentication | One-time passcodes for sign-in, verification or account recovery, from Meta's template library. | Links, media or emojis, and variables longer than 15 characters. |
| Marketing | Offers, launches, discounts, abandoned carts, renewals, re-engagement, and anything mixed or unclear. | Nothing: it is the most flexible category and the most expensive in most Gulf markets. |
WhatsApp template categories: questions
Can Meta change my template's category after approval?
Yes. Meta checks templates against its guidelines and can move a utility template to marketing. It usually gives a day's notice; after a misuse warning the change can be immediate.
Why is my order update billed as marketing?
Usually because it also contains a discount, a product suggestion or a “shop again” line. Move the offer to a separate marketing template and keep the update plain.
How much more does marketing cost in the UAE?
From 1 October 2026 Meta charges AED 0.2115 per marketing message to UAE numbers and AED 0.0576 per utility message, so marketing costs about 3.7 times as much.
Are replies to customers charged?
Free-form replies inside the 24-hour customer service window are service messages, and utility templates sent inside that window are free.
Send the right message at the right price.
Message categories explainedWhatsApp prices in 47 marketsBroadcast campaigns