Up to ten cards in one WhatsApp message.

Between two and ten. The number is fixed when Meta approves the template: one approved with five cards always sends five, so build one template for each layout you use regularly.

No. All the cards in one carousel use the same media type: images (JPEG or PNG, up to 5 MB) or videos (MP4, up to 16 MB).

Up to two, in any mix of quick reply, phone number and link buttons. Every card uses the same button types in the same order, but each card has its own labels, links and phone numbers.

Up to 160 characters under each card’s image or video, with personalisation variables, so a price, date or location sits right under the picture. The message body above the cards carries the main text.

No. A carousel has its message body and its cards, and the buttons sit on each card rather than on the message.

Marketing. Carousels are a marketing template type, so contacts need marketing opt-in and each send is charged at the marketing rate. They won’t make order updates or reminders cheaper.

Meta charges for one delivered marketing template, not one per card. Five offers sent as five separate templates to 5,000 contacts is 25,000 marketing charges; sent as one five-card carousel it is 5,000, an 80 per cent reduction for the same reach. Sending fewer marketing messages per person also makes Meta’s per-user limit on marketing templates less likely to block delivery.

WhatsApp pricing changes: how Flows save you money

From test sends, bulk sends, the Inbox, the Flowella API and HubSpot.

Creating and testing templates

Yes, a link button opens the browser. To keep the next step in the chat, use a quick reply button and follow up with a WhatsApp Flow that collects the details for the card they picked.