---
title: "WhatsApp Template Categories: Marketing, Utility, Authentication"
description: What counts as a marketing, utility or authentication template on
  WhatsApp, how Meta decides the category, and what each one costs a Bangladeshi
  shop.
url: https://salemag.net/blog/whatsapp-template-categories
language: en
published: 2025-07-26
updated: 2026-10-24
author: SaleMag Team
tags:
  - whatsapp templates
  - utility template
  - marketing template
  - whatsapp business api
---

# WhatsApp Template Categories: Marketing, Utility, Authentication

> WhatsApp message templates come in three categories. Marketing templates promote or re-engage. Utility templates update a customer about a transaction or account they started, with no promotion. Authentication templates only deliver one-time passcodes. Meta checks the category you choose, can change it, and charges each delivered template by category and the recipient's country.

- Utility means a non-promotional update the customer expects because of something they did, such as an order or delivery update.
- Anything promotional, mixed or unclear is marketing, including an order update with a discount code.
- Authentication templates use Meta's preset wording and a copy-code or one-tap button, nothing else.
- Since April 2025, a utility template that Meta judges to be marketing is approved as marketing instead of rejected.
- Since 1 October 2026, utility templates sent inside an open customer service window are charged again.

A shop owner in Chattogram submits a template that says "Your order has shipped! Use code EID10 for 10% off your next order." She picks *Utility*, because it is about an order. Meta approves it as *Marketing*. Now every shipping update costs her the marketing rate, and it may not reach customers who have had too many promotions that week.

Template categories decide what you can send, what it costs and how it is delivered. This guide explains each category with examples from Bangladeshi shops, shows how Meta decides, and covers the pricing rules in force as of October 2026.

## What are the WhatsApp template categories?

A WhatsApp [message template](https://salemag.net/glossary/message-template) belongs to one of three categories: marketing, utility or authentication. You choose the category when you create the template, and Meta checks it.

| Category | Purpose | Shop example |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing | Promote, sell, re-engage | Eid collection launch, flash sale, "we miss you" |
| Utility | Update about a transaction or account the customer started | Order confirmed, parcel shipped, delivery today |
| Authentication | One-time passcode only | Login or phone verification code |

There is a fourth type of message that is not a template: the free-form replies you send inside the [24-hour window](https://salemag.net/glossary/24-hour-window). Meta calls these service messages.

## What counts as a utility template?

A utility template is a non-promotional message sent because of something the customer did or asked for, or something essential to them. Meta's guidelines name use cases such as order management, account alerts, opt-in management and feedback surveys about a specific transaction.

Good utility templates for a COD shop:

> আসসালামু আলাইকুম {{1}}, আপনার অর্ডার {{2}} কনফার্ম হয়েছে। মোট ৳{{3}}, ক্যাশ অন ডেলিভারি। কিছু বদলাতে চাইলে এখানে জানান।

> Hi {{1}}, your parcel for order {{2}} is out for delivery today. Please keep ৳{{3}} ready. Call 01XXXXXXXXX if you will not be home.

The test: would the customer expect this message because of their own order? If yes, and there is nothing in it trying to sell, it is utility. More detail is in the glossary entry on [utility messages](https://salemag.net/glossary/utility-message).

## What counts as a marketing template?

A marketing template is any template that promotes, sells or re-engages, and also any template whose content is mixed or unclear. If it is not clearly utility or authentication, Meta treats it as marketing.

Typical marketing templates:

- new collection or restock announcements,
- discounts, flash sales and 11.11 or Eid offers,
- "you left something in your cart" reminders,
- festival greetings from the shop,
- "we have not seen you in a while" messages.

> Eid Mubarak {{1}}! Notun Eid collection eshe geche, Panjabi ৳1,490 theke. Dekhte "Show me" te tap korun.

Marketing templates need the customer's [opt-in](https://salemag.net/glossary/opt-in), and Meta may limit how many marketing messages one person receives from businesses, so not every send is delivered.

## What is an authentication template?

An authentication template delivers a one-time passcode and nothing else. Meta fixes most of the wording: the template comes from Meta's library, includes a copy-code or one-tap button, and cannot contain URLs, media or emojis. Code parameters are limited to 15 characters.

Shops without their own app rarely need authentication templates. If you do send OTPs, marketing and utility templates cannot carry them.

## How does Meta decide a template's category?

You choose a category, and Meta reviews it against the content. The review decides one of three outcomes:

| Outcome | What it means |
|---|---|
| Approved | Meta agrees with your category |
| Approved as marketing | You chose utility, Meta judged it promotional (the default since 9 April 2025) |
| Rejected | For example, a code-sending template outside the authentication category |

Meta also re-checks templates that are already approved. If a utility template turns out to be marketing, Meta usually gives one day's notice before the category changes; the template stays approved but is billed as marketing. You can request a review or appeal within 60 days.

Repeated misuse has consequences. Meta's guidelines describe a ladder from instant category changes, to limits on utility messages for at least seven days, to restrictions across the whole business portfolio for 30 days. Labelling promotions as utility to save money is not worth that risk.

## Which messages fall in the grey area?

Most category mistakes come from mixing purposes in one message. These are the cases Bangladeshi shops ask about most:

| Message | Likely category | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Order confirmation with items and total | Utility | Specific to the customer's order |
| Order confirmation plus "see our new arrivals" | Marketing | Promotion added |
| Delivery-day reminder with the COD amount | Utility | Essential update on their order |
| Feedback request about a delivered order | Utility | Survey about a specific transaction |
| Abandoned cart reminder | Marketing | Encourages a purchase not yet made |
| Back-in-stock alert | Usually marketing | Promotes a product, even when the customer asked |
| "You will now get order updates here" | Utility | Opt-in management |
| Eid greeting from the shop | Marketing | Relationship-building |

When in doubt, split the message. Send the order update as utility, and put the offer in a separate marketing template to opted-in customers.

## How much does each template category cost?

WhatsApp charges per delivered template message, by category and by the recipient's country calling code. Per-message pricing replaced conversation-based pricing on 1 July 2025. Messages customers send you are free.

Rules that matter for a Bangladeshi business as of October 2026:

- **Marketing** is usually the most expensive category.
- **Utility and authentication** are cheaper and get volume tiers, so the rate falls as your monthly volume grows.
- **Utility inside the window.** From 1 July 2025 to 30 September 2026, utility templates sent in an open customer service window were free. Since 1 October 2026 they are charged.
- **Service messages** (free-form replies) now have a free tier of 1,000 delivered messages per month per business phone number, and are charged after that.
- **Bangladesh** became a standalone market on Meta's rate card on 1 October 2026, instead of being part of the Rest of Asia Pacific region.

We do not print rates here because Meta changes them by quarter. Use Meta's official [pricing page](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/pricing) and multiply the Bangladesh rate for each category by your expected volume. For background on the 2025 switch, read [WhatsApp per-message pricing from July 2025](https://salemag.net/blog/whatsapp-per-message-pricing-july-2025).

## How do you get the category right the first time?

Write each template for one job, and choose the category that job belongs to.

1. **One purpose per template.** Update or offer, never both.
2. **Name templates by job.** `order_confirmed_bn`, `eid_offer_2025`, so your team picks the right one.
3. **Keep utility boring.** Order number, status, amount, next step. No emojis needed, no "shop now".
4. **Put links to the order, not the shop.** A tracking link is utility; a homepage link looks like marketing.
5. **Make one template per language.** A Bangla template and an English template, each with its own language code.

## How does SaleMag handle template categories?

In SaleMag you pick the category (marketing, utility or authentication) when you write a template, set English, Bengali or another language, and add a header, body, footer and up to 10 buttons. One click submits it to Meta, and the status (pending, approved, rejected or paused) updates automatically, with the rejection reason stored so you can edit and resubmit.

Approved templates appear in the inbox template picker, in automations, and in [WhatsApp broadcast](https://salemag.net/features/whatsapp-broadcast) campaigns. SaleMag does not decide the category for you; Meta does, and SaleMag shows you the result.

## Next steps

List the messages you send customers after an order and before the next one. Mark each as utility or marketing, then split any that mix both. When you are ready to submit them, [start free with SaleMag](https://salemag.net/register) or [see pricing](https://salemag.net/pricing).

## FAQ

### What are the three WhatsApp template categories?

The three WhatsApp template categories are marketing, utility and authentication. Marketing is for promotions and re-engagement, utility for updates about an existing order or account, and authentication for one-time passcodes.

### Is an order confirmation a utility template?

Yes, as long as it contains no promotion. An order confirmation with the order number, items and total is a typical utility template; adding a discount code or a 'shop now' link makes it marketing.

### Can Meta change my template's category?

Yes. Meta reviews the category you choose and can approve a utility template as marketing, or update an approved template's category later, usually with a day's notice. You can request a review or appeal within 60 days.

### Which WhatsApp template category is cheapest?

In most markets, marketing templates cost more than utility and authentication templates. Rates depend on the recipient's country and change over time, so check Meta's current rate card for Bangladesh.

### Are utility templates free inside the 24-hour window?

Not any more. Utility templates sent in an open customer service window were free from 1 July 2025, but Meta started charging for them from 1 October 2026.

### Can I send an OTP with a utility template?

No. Meta allows verification codes only in authentication templates. A marketing or utility template that sends a passcode will be rejected.

### Can WhatsApp templates be written in Bangla?

Yes. Choose Bengali as the template language and write the text in Bangla. Meta does not translate templates, so the language you select must match the text.