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Shopify merchants utilizing Shopify Messaging to run WhatsApp marketing campaigns face region-specific per-message fees billed directly on their monthly Shopify invoices, according to platform billing disclosures. Businesses can send up to 25 free test messages per week, with a strict character limit of 1,024 characters per WhatsApp message.
Per-message fees apply to several types of automated and marketing communications sent through the channel. According to Shopify documentation, fees are triggered by confirmation messages sent to new subscribers and automated replies to customer-initiated request keywords such as “INFO” or “HELP.”
Customer Service Windows and Free Utilities
When a customer replies to a business message, a 24-hour customer service window opens. During this active 24-hour period, utility messages—including order confirmations and routine customer service inquiries—are free of charge. Every subsequent customer reply resets the 24-hour timer. However, standard regional marketing and authentication messages remain billable at standard rates even during an open customer service window, according to platform terms.
All accumulated WhatsApp marketing costs appear on the merchant’s standard Shopify billing statement. Merchants can inspect granular cost details for individual campaigns by navigating to the billing section within Shopify Admin and selecting invoice details.
Regional WhatsApp Pricing Breakdown
Messaging rates vary significantly by destination country and territory. Shopify explicitly excludes certain jurisdictions from WhatsApp marketing capabilities due to geographic restrictions. Merchants cannot send WhatsApp marketing messages to customers located in China, the Crimea region, Cuba, Donetsk, Iran, Luhansk, North Korea, Russia, Syria, or the United States, based on platform guidelines.
For supported destinations, regional per-message pricing spans a wide spectrum. The Netherlands records the highest standard rate among listed individual countries at USD 0.290 per message, closely followed by Germany at USD 0.248. Conversely, Pakistan and India record some of the lowest per-message costs at USD 0.095 and USD 0.024 respectively.
Country and Regional Rate Schedule
- Argentina: USD 0.124
- Brazil: USD 0.125
- Canada: USD 0.050
- Chile: USD 0.178
- Colombia: USD 0.031
- Egypt: USD 0.129
- France: USD 0.172
- Germany: USD 0.248
- India: USD 0.024
- Indonesia: USD 0.082
- Israel: USD 0.071
- Italy: USD 0.126
- Malaysia: USD 0.172
- Mexico: USD 0.076
- Netherlands: USD 0.290
- Nigeria: USD 0.103
- Pakistan: USD 0.095
- Peru: USD 0.141
- Russia: USD 0.160
- Saudi Arabia: USD 0.100
- South Africa: USD 0.076
- Spain: USD 0.112
- Türkiye: USD 0.022
- United Arab Emirates: USD 0.100
- United Kingdom: USD 0.106
- Other Africa: USD 0.045
- Other Asia Pacific: USD 0.146
- Other Central and Eastern Europe: USD 0.172
- Other Latin America: USD 0.148
- Other Middle East: USD 0.068
- Other Western Europe: USD 0.118
- Other Destinations: USD 0.121
Merchants planning international campaign scaling must factor these per-message micro-transactions into their customer acquisition cost models, as unmonitored broadcast volumes can quickly accumulate on monthly merchant billing cycles.
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