Add a payment method to your WhatsApp account

1. 1

   Meta charges for messages sent through the API. It asks for the card before letting you send, even if you never end up spending.

   WhyThis is between your agency and Meta. It does not go through Orkasa: we neither see the card nor bill that usage.
2. 2

   What the problem looks like if you skip it: client messages come in normally, the bot does not reply, and no error appears anywhere.

   CarefulIt is the number-one cause of “the bot is not working” in the first few days. If it happens to you, check this before anything else.
3. 3

   In Meta Business Suite, open the portfolio settings and go to WhatsApp accounts. Select your agency’s account.

   Open WhatsApp settings in Meta↗
   Capture pending · Meta screen

   Portfolio settings → WhatsApp accounts, with the agency’s WABA selected.

   This screen is not Orkasa’s, so our script cannot capture it. It still needs to be replaced with a real screenshot.

4. 4

   Open the billing tab and add a payment method.

   ShortcutIf you have several WhatsApp accounts in the portfolio, the card goes on the one you connected to Orkasa. Putting it on another does nothing.
   Capture pending · Meta screen

   The WABA’s billing and payments tab, with the button to add a payment method.

   This screen is not Orkasa’s, so our script cannot capture it. It still needs to be replaced with a real screenshot.

5. 5

   Choose the currency carefully: it cannot be changed later without creating a new billing account.

6. 6

   How the spend works, plainly: when a client messages you and you reply within 24 hours, there is no charge. What gets billed are the templates you send on your own initiative.

   WhyThat is why the bot answering leads is cheap, and broadcast campaigns are not. Prices are per country and Meta changes them on notice: check the rate card in your dashboard, not a figure written here.
7. 7

   To confirm it worked: message the number from another phone. If the bot replies, you are done.

Done!