# What is a Click-to-WhatsApp ad? > A Click-to-WhatsApp ad is a Facebook or Instagram ad whose button opens a WhatsApp conversation: the customer writes first, and if the business replies within 24 hours, Meta opens a free window that can last up to 7 days. ## The definition in two minutes A Click-to-WhatsApp ad is an ad shown on Facebook or Instagram. Its button takes the person straight into a WhatsApp conversation with the business. According to Meta, these ads are for starting conversations with a large audience and replying to each person individually. They come as an image, a video, a carousel or a slideshow. Meta also lets you prepare a welcome message, frequently asked questions or a ready-written sentence. They appear in the conversation when the person taps the ad. ## The customer writes first With this type of ad, the customer starts the conversation. Their message opens a 24-hour customer service window, during which you can reply freely. If the customer writes from the WhatsApp app on an Android or iOS phone and you reply within those 24 hours, Meta also opens a free entry point window. It starts at your reply and can stay open for up to 7 days. During that window: - Meta charges for no marketing, utility, authentication or service messages. - Your first reply is not charged either: it is the one that opens the window. - Messages from Meta Business Agent, Meta’s own AI agent, are still charged. - WhatsApp for desktop and WhatsApp Web are not supported. This free window does not extend the 24-hour window. Once that one has closed, only a Meta-approved template lets you write. - [The 24-hour window explained](https://wyp.chat/en/guides/whatsapp-24-hour-window) - [What is free and what is paid](https://wyp.chat/en/guides/whatsapp-message-pricing) ## What the click does not replace The click opens the conversation and the 24-hour window. To send a template later, Meta requires the customer’s opt-in, naming your business. Ask for it in the conversation, with a clear sentence, rather than assuming it. - [WhatsApp consent: rules and wording](https://wyp.chat/en/guides/whatsapp-consent) ## What it means for a small business Running the ad costs money and is paid separately, in Meta’s advertising tools. The conversation that follows is free if you reply within 24 hours: speed of reply matters. Meta tells the business that the first message came from an ad and passes on the click ID. Software such as WYP.chat can therefore show, in the conversation, the ad the customer came from. ## Example Illustrative case: a garage runs an Instagram ad, “Summer service”, whose button opens WhatsApp. A customer taps the ad and writes: “Hello, I would like a quote.” The garage replies the same day from its software. Meta opens a free window: the quote, the appointment confirmation and the reminder sent during the window are not charged by Meta. ## Frequently asked questions ### Are messages free after a Click-to-WhatsApp ad? Yes, during the free entry point window, which can last up to 7 days, if the customer writes from the WhatsApp app on a phone and you reply within 24 hours. Meta Business Agent is still charged. The ad itself is paid separately. ### Do I need the customer’s opt-in to reply? Not to reply within 24 hours of their message: they wrote to you, and you can reply freely. To send them a template afterwards, Meta requires their opt-in. ### What happens if I reply after 24 hours? The customer service window has closed: only a Meta-approved template lets you write. The free entry point window only opens if you reply within 24 hours. ### Does a WhatsApp link or QR code also open a free window? Not according to Meta’s documentation, which only mentions ads that lead to WhatsApp. A link or QR code also makes the customer write first, but without that free window. ## Related terms - [24-hour window (customer service window)](https://wyp.chat/en/glossary/fenetre-24h) - [Per-message billing](https://wyp.chat/en/glossary/facturation-au-message) - [Service message](https://wyp.chat/en/glossary#message-service) - [Opt-in (consent)](https://wyp.chat/en/glossary/opt-in) - [Message template](https://wyp.chat/en/glossary/modele) **Read more** - [The 24-hour window explained](https://wyp.chat/en/guides/whatsapp-24-hour-window) - [All glossary terms](https://wyp.chat/en/glossary) ## Sources 1. Meta, WhatsApp Business Platform pricing (free entry point window): [developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/pricing](https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/pricing) ( checked on 20 October 2026) 2. Meta, ads that click to WhatsApp: [developers.facebook.com/documentation/ads-commerce/marketing-api/ad-creative/messaging-ads/click-to-whatsapp](https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/ads-commerce/marketing-api/ad-creative/messaging-ads/click-to-whatsapp) ( checked on 20 October 2026) 3. Meta, welcome message sequences: [developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/ctwa/welcome-message-sequences](https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/ctwa/welcome-message-sequences) ( checked on 20 October 2026) 4. Meta, send messages: [developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/messages/send-messages](https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/messages/send-messages) ( checked on 20 October 2026) 5. Meta, WhatsApp changelog: [developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/changelog](https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/changelog) ( checked on 20 October 2026) 6. Meta, about the WhatsApp Business Platform: [developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/about-the-platform](https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/about-the-platform) ( checked on 20 October 2026) --- Source: https://wyp.chat/en/glossary/click-to-whatsapp · Updated on 20 October 2026