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

# Official WhatsApp by country

> Who pays Meta sets the price: a flat software fee on the default path, the per-country table on BSP lines.

<Tip>
  On official WhatsApp, the first question isn't "where is the message going", it's **who pays Meta for the conversation**. The answer completely changes what Notifique charges you.
</Tip>

## In short

* On the **default path** (Tech Provider or BYOK), Meta bills conversations directly to you and Notifique charges only a **flat software fee**: **70 credits** per send (R\$ 0.09 pay-as-you-go).
* The **per-country, per-category table** on this page applies to **BSP** lines, where Notifique is the one paying Meta.
* In both cases the same destination rules apply: country resolved from the number, five categories, and **marketing to the US refused before any charge**.

## Which price applies to you?

| Your connection                                              | Who pays Meta                        | What Notifique charges                             |
| ------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------- |
| **Tech Provider** (Meta login in the dashboard, the default) | You, on the card in WhatsApp Manager | Software fee: **70 credits** / R\$ 0.09            |
| **BYOK** (your own WABA, manual connection)                  | You, on the card in WhatsApp Manager | Software fee: **70 credits** / R\$ 0.09            |
| **BSP**                                                      | Notifique                            | [Per-country, per-category table](#price-examples) |

<Warning>
  On the default path, without an **active card** in WhatsApp Manager the first send is refused with **402** (`META_PAYMENT_METHOD_REQUIRED`): *"Add a payment method in WhatsApp Manager (Meta) for this WABA before sending."*
</Warning>

<Info>
  **Why the country table doesn't apply to everyone.** It already includes the rate Meta charges. If you pay Meta directly, charging you the table would bill the same cost twice: once on the Meta invoice and once on Notifique's. That's why the default path pays only the software fee.
</Info>

<Note>
  On the **unofficial** connection the price is flat too, but a different one: **20 credits** per message (R\$ 0.03 pay-as-you-go). See [Connection modes](/en/whatsapp-api/como-funciona/modos-de-conexao).
</Note>

***

## The software fee

It's like a **card-machine fee**: you pay the supplier separately, and the platform charges a flat amount for running the transaction.

|                        | Credits | Pay-as-you-go |
| ---------------------- | ------: | ------------: |
| Software fee, per send |      70 |      R\$ 0.09 |

The same amount for every country and every category. Marketing to Germany and utility to Brazil cost the same on Notifique's side; what differs between them lands on **your Meta invoice**.

***

## The per-country table (BSP lines)

From here down, everything applies to **BSP** lines, where Notifique pays Meta and passes the cost on.

Meta charges different rates per **country** and per **message category**, and the credit price follows that difference. Two things define the amount of each send:

1. **Recipient's country**, taken from the number itself in international format
2. **Message category**, which comes from the template approved on Meta

### The categories

| Category              | When it's used                                              |
| --------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------- |
| `MARKETING`           | Promotion, news, invite, cart recovery                      |
| `UTILITY`             | Order confirmation, delivery notice, billing, reminder      |
| `AUTHENTICATION`      | Verification code (OTP) and one-time passwords              |
| `AUTHENTICATION_INTL` | OTP to a destination abroad, in markets that have that rate |
| `SERVICE`             | Free text inside the 24 h window, no template               |

### How the category is decided

* Sent with an **approved template**? The template's category on Meta applies.
* Sent **free text** replying to someone inside the **24 h window**? It's billed as **`SERVICE`**.
* **Authentication** template to a country other than Brazil? If that destination has its own international rate, **`AUTHENTICATION_INTL`** applies.

<Info>
  Notifique templates classified as `TRANSACTIONAL` and `NOTIFICATION` are the two faces of **utility** and are billed as `UTILITY`. The category shows up in both models, but it only changes the price on BSP.
</Info>

### Price examples

Reference values from the published table. Use [`GET /v1/pricing`](/en/guides/precos/api-de-precos) for current numbers.

| Destination   | Category              | Credits | Pay-as-you-go |
| ------------- | --------------------- | ------: | ------------: |
| Brazil        | `UTILITY`             |      70 |      R\$ 0.09 |
| Brazil        | `MARKETING`           |     519 |      R\$ 0.63 |
| Germany       | `UTILITY`             |     433 |      R\$ 0.52 |
| Germany       | `MARKETING`           |   1,125 |      R\$ 1.35 |
| India         | `MARKETING`           |     105 |      R\$ 0.13 |
| India         | `AUTHENTICATION_INTL` |     243 |      R\$ 0.30 |
| United States | `UTILITY`             |      70 |      R\$ 0.09 |

<Note>
  No row goes below **20 credits** for marketing and **70 credits** for the other categories, even where the country rate is very low.
</Note>

### Countries the table doesn't cover

If the number doesn't identify a country, the send falls back to the reserve row **`ZZ`**. It exists so no destination is left without a price, and it is deliberately above average.

Always send numbers in international format (e.g. `5511999999999`, `14155552671`). The country comes from the whole number, not just the dialing code: `+1` covers the United States, Canada, and several Caribbean countries, each with its own rate.

### FX: why the table moves

Meta's rates are in **US dollars**. A **daily** routine checks the exchange rate and reprices the official WhatsApp rows quoted in dollars.

So prices don't wobble every day, there is a **dead band**: while the day's rate is **less than R\$ 0.10** away from the rate pinned on the live table, nothing changes. Only a move beyond that triggers repricing.

Same reasoning as the gas station that doesn't repaint the sign over one cent on a barrel of oil.

<Note>
  The software fee and the fixed-price SKUs (SMS, email, push, RCS, voice, Telegram, Instagram, unofficial WhatsApp) have **no FX exposure** and don't move when the dollar does. Abnormal rate jumps don't go live on their own either: they are held for review first.
</Note>

***

## Unavailable destinations

This applies in **both models**: if Meta doesn't accept the category at that destination, the message fails either way, no matter who pays for the conversation.

<Warning>
  Meta **does not deliver marketing messages to United States numbers**. Notifique refuses that send **before debiting**: the API returns **400** with `code: "DESTINATION_NOT_AVAILABLE"` and a message explaining why. Nothing is charged and nothing gets lost in the queue.
</Warning>

```json theme={null}
{
  "success": false,
  "error": "Bad Request",
  "message": "Meta não entrega mensagens de marketing para números dos EUA (erro 131049).",
  "code": "DESTINATION_NOT_AVAILABLE"
}
```

To reach a US number, use `UTILITY`, `AUTHENTICATION`, or reply inside the 24 h window.

In the [`GET /v1/pricing`](/en/guides/precos/api-de-precos) response, those rows come with `available: false` and the reason in `unavailableReason`.

***

## Next steps

* [Connection modes](/en/whatsapp-api/como-funciona/modos-de-conexao): Tech Provider, BYOK, BSP, and unofficial
* [Pricing lookup](/en/guides/precos/api-de-precos): software fee and the full table in JSON
* [Billing](/en/guides/introducao/cobranca-e-pague-pelo-uso): credits, plans, and other channel prices
* [Official Meta templates](/en/template-api/como-funciona/templates-oficiais-meta): how the category gets approved