AWS Security ChangesHomeSearch

AWS social-messaging documentation change

Service: social-messaging · 2025-10-01 · Documentation low

File: social-messaging/latest/userguide/billing.md

Summary

Updated billing documentation to reflect WhatsApp pricing model change from per-conversation to per-message billing, added detailed fee type breakdowns, region codes, and examples.

Security assessment

The changes focus on billing structure and fee categorization (e.g., MetaTemplateMessageFee types like Authentication/Marketing/Service). While authentication-related messages are mentioned, this refers to message purpose categorization for billing rather than security controls. No vulnerabilities or security implementations are documented.

Diff

diff --git a/social-messaging/latest/userguide/billing.md b/social-messaging/latest/userguide/billing.md
index e896b8734..d19917491 100644
--- a//social-messaging/latest/userguide/billing.md
+++ b//social-messaging/latest/userguide/billing.md
@@ -5 +5 @@
-# Understanding WhatsApp billing and usage reports for AWS End User Messaging Social
+Charged per message
@@ -7 +7 @@
-There are two types of WhatsApp billing and usage reports for AWS End User Messaging Social:
+# Understanding billing and usage reports for AWS End User Messaging Social
@@ -9 +9 @@ There are two types of WhatsApp billing and usage reports for AWS End User Messa
-  * Charged per conversation
+You are billed on a per message basis when you use AWS End User Messaging Social. This topic explains the different types of `MetaTemplateMessageFee` and AWS `MessageFee` charges that you can incur per message while using End User Messaging Social. 
@@ -11 +11 @@ There are two types of WhatsApp billing and usage reports for AWS End User Messa
-  * Charged per message
+###### Note
@@ -12,0 +13 @@ There are two types of WhatsApp billing and usage reports for AWS End User Messa
+Starting on July 1 2025, AWS End User Messaging Social, charges per message instead of per conversation for WhatsApp messages, inline with Meta’s change. This means that you are charged a `MetaTemplateMessageFee` instead of `ConversationFee` for the Meta fee, in addition to the AWS `MessageFee`. These changes are included in your monthly bills, starting from the bill for July 2025 that you receive in August 2025. To understand prior bills based on `ConversationFee`, see [Charged per conversation (Deprecated)](./charged-per-conversation.html).
@@ -13,0 +15 @@ There are two types of WhatsApp billing and usage reports for AWS End User Messa
+## Charged per message
@@ -14,0 +17 @@ There are two types of WhatsApp billing and usage reports for AWS End User Messa
+The AWS End User Messaging Social channel generates a usage type that contains five fields in the following format:
@@ -16 +18,0 @@ There are two types of WhatsApp billing and usage reports for AWS End User Messa
-For more information about these billing and report types, see the following topics.
@@ -18 +20 @@ For more information about these billing and report types, see the following top
-###### Topics
+    Region code–MessagingType–ISO–FeeDescription–FeeType
@@ -20 +22 @@ For more information about these billing and report types, see the following top
-  * [Charged per conversation](./charged-per-conversation.html)
+There are two possible billing items for each WhatsApp message: the `MetaTemplateMessageFee`, and the AWS `MessageFee`. 
@@ -22 +24 @@ For more information about these billing and report types, see the following top
-  * [Charged per message](./charged-per-message.html)
+When you send a template message, you are billed for one WhatsApp `MetaTemplateMessageFee` and one AWS `MessageFee`. The following table provides the descriptions and possible values for the fields in the usage type. For more information about AWS End User Messaging Social pricing, see [WhatsApp](https://aws.amazon.com/end-user-messaging/pricing/) in AWS End User Messaging Pricing. 
@@ -23,0 +26,3 @@ For more information about these billing and report types, see the following top
+Field | Description | Possible values  
+---|---|---  
+`Region code` | The AWS Region prefix that indicates where the WhatsApp message was sent or received from. | 
@@ -24,0 +30,16 @@ For more information about these billing and report types, see the following top
+  * **USE1** – US East (N. Virginia) Region
+  * **USE2** – US East (Ohio) Region
+  * **USW2** – US West (Oregon) Region
+  * **APS3** – Asia Pacific (Mumbai) Region
+  * **APS5** – Asia Pacific (Hyderabad) Region
+  * **APS1** – Asia Pacific (Singapore) Region
+  * **APS2** – Asia Pacific (Sydney) Region
+  * **EU** – Europe (Ireland) Region 
+  * **EUW2** – Europe (London) Region
+  * **APN1** – Asia Pacific (Tokyo) Region
+  * **APN2** – Asia Pacific (Seoul) Region
+  * **EUC1** – Europe (Frankfurt) Region
+  * **EUS2** – Europe (Spain) Region
+  * **SAE1** – South America (São Paulo) Region
+  * **AFS1** – Africa (Cape Town) Region
+  * **CAN1** – Canada (Central) Region
@@ -26,0 +48,345 @@ For more information about these billing and report types, see the following top
+`MessagingType` | This field identifies the message type being sent. | `WhatsApp`  
+`ISO` | The two–digit ISO country code that the message was sent to. | See [supported countries](./charged-per-conversation.html#supported-iso-codes) for possible values.  
+`FeeDescription` |  This field specifies whether the billing item is a WhatsApp `MetaTemplateMessageFee` or an AWS End User Messaging Social `MessageFee` |  `MetaTemplateMessageFee` charged by WhatsApp, `MessageFee` charged by End User Messaging Social  
+Meta `FeeType` |  This field displays the `MetaTemplateMessageFee` fee type for the message. | 
+
+###### `MetaTemplateMessageFee` types for business-initiated messages
+
+  * `Authentication` – Used to authenticate users with one-time passcodes, which could occur at multiple steps in the login process. This can include account verification, account recovery, and account integrity challenges.
+  * `Authentication-International` – Used the same as `Authentication` but your business is eligible for [Authentication-International](./charged-per-conversation.html#billing-authentication-international) rates, based in another country, and the message was sent on or after the start time for the country.
+  * `Marketing` – Used to achieve a wide range of goals, from generating awareness to driving sales and retargeting customers. Examples include new product, service, or feature announcements, targeted promotions/offers, and cart abandonment reminders.
+  * `Service` – Used to resolve customer inquiries.
+  * `Utility` – Used to follow up on user actions or requests. Examples include opt-in confirmation, order/delivery management (for example a delivery update); account updates or alerts (for example a payment reminder); or feedback surveys.
+
+
+
+###### `MetaTemplateMessageFee` types for user-initiated messages
+
+  * `Service` – Used to resolve customer inquiries.
+
+  
+AWS `FeeType` |  This field displays the AWS `MessageFee` type for the message. | 
+
+###### AWS`MessageFee` types for business-initiated messages
+
+  * `Authentication` – Used to authenticate users with one-time passcodes, which could occur at multiple steps in the login process. This can include account verification, account recovery, and account integrity challenges.
+  * `Authentication-International` – Used the same as `Authentication` but your business is eligible for [Authentication-International](./charged-per-conversation.html#billing-authentication-international) rates, based in another country, and the message was sent on or after the start time for the country.
+  * `Marketing` – for messages used for marketing purposes, from generating awareness to driving sales and retargeting customers. Examples include new product, service, or feature announcements, targeted promotions/offers, and cart abandonment reminders.
+  * `Service` – for messages related to resolving customer inquiries.
+  * `Standard` – for free-form messages
+  * `Utility` – Used to follow up on user actions or requests. Examples include opt-in confirmation, order/delivery management (for example a delivery update); account updates or alerts (for example a payment reminder); or feedback surveys.
+
+
+
+###### `MessageFee` types for user-initiated messages
+
+  * `Inbound` – for user-initiated messages.
+
+  
+  
+When you send a template message, you are billed for one `MetaTemplateMessageFee` and one AWS `MessageFee`. When you send free form text messages, or receive inbound messages, you are billed for one `MessageFee`. 
+
+For example, if you send a marketing template message to a customer, you are billed for one `MetaTemplateMessageFee` and one `MessageFee`.
+
+### Example billing SKU names
+
+The following are examples of actual billing SKU names. These examples show AWS MessageFee FeeTypes for messages sent or received from the `APS3` region code (ap-south-1, Asia Pacific (Mumbai)), and sent to the ISO code `IN` (India).
+    
+    
+    APS3-WhatsApp-IN-MessageFee-Authentication
+    APS3-WhatsApp-IN-MessageFee-Service
+    APS3-WhatsApp-IN-MessageFee-Authentication_International
+    APS3-WhatsApp-IN-MessageFee-Marketing
+    APS3-WhatsApp-IN-MessageFee-Inbound
+    APS3-WhatsApp-IN-MessageFee-Utility
+    APS3-WhatsApp-IN-MessageFee-Standard
+
+### When does the Authentication-International FeeType apply
+
+For a list of countries with an `Authentication-International` FeeType, see [WhatsApp](https://aws.amazon.com/end-user-messaging/pricing/#WhatsApp) in AWS End User Messaging Pricing.
+
+If you send an `Authentication` message to a WhatsApp user whose country calling code has an `Authentication-International` FeeType, you will be billed that country's `Authentication-International` rate if:
+
+  1. Your business opens more than 750K messages in a moving 30-day period across all of your WhatsApp Business Accounts with WhatsApp users whose country calling codes are for a country that has an `Authentication-International` rate. For more information, see [Eligibility](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/pricing/authentication-international-rates#eligibility) in the _WhatsApp Business Platform Developer Guide_. 
+
+###### Important
+
+If Meta determines that your business is eligible for `Authentication-International` then they will attempt to send you an email notification with applicable countries and moving 30-day period start times.
+
+  2. Your business is based in another country. For more information on managing your business's location, see [Primary business location](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/pricing/authentication-international-rates#primary-business-location) in the _WhatsApp Business Platform Developer Guide_.
+
+  3. The message was sent on or after your start time of the 30-day period for that country.
+
+
+
+
+### Example 1: Sending a Marketing template message
+
+For example, if you send a marketing template message to a customer, you are billed for one WhatsApp `MetaTemplateMessageFee` and one AWS `MessageFee`.
+    
+    
+    Marketing Template Message 1: APS1-WhatsApp-CA-MetaTemplateMessageFee-Marketing
+    Marketing Template Message 1: APS1-WhatsApp-CA-MessageFee-Marketing
+
+### Example 2: Opening a service conversation
+
+A service conversation is created when a business responds to a user's inbound message within 24 hours of receiving the user-initiated message. In this scenario, you are billed one `MetaTemplateMessageFee-Service_Regular` fee and an AWS `MessageFee-Service` for each outbound message, and billed one `MessageFee-Inbound` for each user-initiated message. For example, if a user initiated the first message, the business responded, and the user responded back, the charges for the three messages would be the following:
+    
+    
+    User Initiated Message 1: APS1-WhatsApp-CA-MessageFee-Inbound
+    Business Initiated Message 2: APS1-WhatsApp-CA-MetaTemplateMessageFee-Service_Regular 
+    Business Initiated Message 2: APS1-WhatsApp-CA-MessageFee-Service
+    User Initiated Message 3: APS1-WhatsApp-CA-MessageFee-Inbound
+
+### AWS End User Messaging Social billing ISO codes and MetaTemplateMessageFee mapping
+
+Supported countries Two-digit ISO country code | Country name | WhatsApp conversation billing region  
+---|---|---  
+AF | Afghanistan | Rest of Asia Pacific  
+AX | Aland Islands | Other  
+AL | Albania | Rest of Central & Eastern Europe  
+DZ | Algeria | Rest of Africa  
+AS | American Samoa | Other  
+AD | Andorra | Other  
+AO | Angola | Rest of Africa  
+AI | Anguilla | Other  
+AQ | Antarctica | Other  
+AG | Antigua and Barbuda | Other  
+AR | Argentina | Argentina  
+AM | Armenia | Rest of Central & Eastern Europe  
+AW | Aruba | Other  
+AC | Ascension Island | Other  
+AU | Australia | Rest of Asia Pacific  
+AT | Austria | Rest of Western Europe  
+AZ | Azerbaijan | Rest of Central & Eastern Europe  
+BS | Bahamas | Other  
+BH | Bahrain | Rest of Middle East  
+BD | Bangladesh | Rest of Asia Pacific  
+BB | Barbados | Other  
+BY | Belarus | Rest of Central & Eastern Europe  
+BE | Belgium | Rest of Western Europe  
+BZ | Belize | Other  
+BJ | Benin | Rest of Africa  
+BM | Bermuda | Other  
+BT | Bhutan | Other  
+BO | Bolivia | Rest of Latin America  
+BQ | Bonaire | Other  
+BA | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Other  
+BW | Botswana | Rest of Africa  
+BV | Bouvet Island | Other  
+BR | Brazil | Brazil  
+IO | British Indian Ocean Territory | Other  
+VG | British Virgin Islands | Other  
+BN | Brunei Darussalam | Other  
+BG | Bulgaria | Rest of Central & Eastern Europe  
+BF | BurkinaFaso | Rest of Africa  
+BI | Burundi | Rest of Africa  
+KH | Cambodia | Rest of Asia Pacific  
+CM | Cameroon | Rest of Africa  
+CA | Canada | North America  
+CV | Cape Verde | Other  
+KY | Cayman Islands | Other  
+CF | Central African Republic | Other  
+TD | Chad | Rest of Africa  
+CL | Chile | Chile  
+CN | China | Rest of Asia Pacific