The Three Template Categories (Marketing / Utility / Auth)

Why do categories matter?

Meta classifies every template into one of three categories. The category determines:

• Cost (Marketing is more expensive than Utility)
• Rules (Marketing requires opt-in; Utility does not)
• Approval (some categories are approved faster than others)

1. UTILITY

Use it for:

• Order confirmations
• Appointment reminders
• Shipping updates
• Invoice notifications

Cost: the lowest (~SAR 0.13 per message in Saudi Arabia).

Example:

Thank you for your order from our store!
Order number: {{1}}
Amount: SAR {{2}}
Shipping within 2-3 business days.

Note: it must be tied to an action the customer has actually taken.

2. MARKETING

Use it for:

• Promotional offers
• Seasonal discounts
• New product announcements
• Customer win-back

Cost: the highest (~SAR 0.46 per message in Saudi Arabia).

Example:

Ramadan Offer 🌙
30% off all products
Code: RAMADAN30
Limited offer until the end of the month

Requirements:

• You must obtain explicit opt-in from the customer before sending
• You must provide an unsubscribe button (Fynchat adds it automatically ✓)
• Do not send repeatedly in a way that becomes intrusive

3. AUTHENTICATION

Use it for:

• OTP codes for login
• Account verification
• Password recovery

Cost: the lowest (~SAR 0.05 per message).

Example:

Verification code: {{1}}
Valid for 5 minutes only.
Do not share it with anyone.

Requirements:

• It cannot contain links
• It cannot contain marketing content
• It must be an actual code (4-8 digits/characters)

Summary

Choose correctly from the start, because changing the category of an approved template requires a new approval.

Read next

• Template approval and rejection reasons — ten rejection reasons and the fix for each
• WhatsApp message pricing