Financial services
£223.6 billion of output in 2025, about 8% of the economy; the Commons Library ranks it the fourth-largest industry by output.[10]
- Account and card alerts
- Onboarding document collection
- Adviser appointment booking
Nine in ten UK online adults use WhatsApp, and PECR decides which of them you may market to. Check a message against the rules, then see the UK rate before you send.
Drag or swipe to rotate. Use the arrow keys to rotate, plus and minus to zoom, and 0 to reset.
For Indian businesses with customers in the UK, and UK firms weighing their options: how PECR's consent rule and soft opt-in apply to WhatsApp marketing, what the ICO can now fine, what a message to a +44 number costs on InfiQ, and how to start.
See it work
Answer up to four questions about one message and one recipient. The tree follows the ICO's guidance on electronic mail under PECR, and every path ends at WhatsApp's own opt-in rule.
The soft opt-in is the part UK teams ask about most. It lets you market to people who bought, or negotiated to buy, from you, about your own similar products, provided they were offered a simple opt-out when you collected their details and in every message since. It never covers prospects or bought-in lists.
On WhatsApp there is a second gate. Meta's Business Messaging Policy asks for the person's opt-in to receive your messages, whatever PECR allows, so a soft opt-in customer still needs to have said yes to WhatsApp. InfiQ's consent records keep the source and time of that yes.
Question 1 · up to 4
Who will receive the message?
Your answers
None yet — pick an answer to start down the tree.
Path map
Depth 0 of up to 4. Circles are questions, squares are outcomes.
PECR allows it
Specific consent meets the PECR rule. Name your business, include a way to opt out, and keep the record of when and where they agreed.
Path: “An individual, a sole trader or some partnerships” → “Yes, and it is recorded”
The soft opt-in may cover it; WhatsApp still needs opt-in
The soft opt-in relaxes PECR's consent rule for existing customers. Meta's WhatsApp policy separately requires the person's opt-in to your messages, so confirm they agreed to hear from you on WhatsApp.
Path: “An individual, a sole trader or some partnerships” → “No” → “They bought, or negotiated to buy, from us” → “Yes, both”
The charity soft opt-in may apply, from 5 February 2026
Charities can now send fundraising and charitable-promotion emails and texts to people who showed interest in their purposes, with an opt-out at collection and in every message. It does not extend to businesses, and WhatsApp's opt-in rule still applies.
Path: “An individual, a sole trader or some partnerships” → “No” → “We are a charity and they showed interest in our work”
PECR's consent rule does not cover companies
The ICO says companies can be emailed or texted without consent. Sole traders and some partnerships count as individuals, and Meta's policy still requires the recipient's opt-in before you message them on WhatsApp.
Path: “A company or other corporate body”
Do not send
Without specific consent, and outside the soft opt-in, PECR does not allow marketing by electronic mail to individuals. A bought-in list never qualifies.
Path: “An individual, a sole trader or some partnerships” → “No” → “From a prospect list or bought-in data”
Question 1: Who will receive the message? 2 options.
Compliance
Three instruments meet in a UK WhatsApp programme. PECR decides who you may market to, UK GDPR governs the numbers and chats you hold, and the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 changed both.
The Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 (PECR) set the consent rule for marketing by electronic mail, alongside UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. The Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 amended them, with its main tranche in force from 5 February 2026.[3],[7]
Regulator: Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)
Point 1
The ICO's guidance is plain: no marketing emails or texts to individuals without specific consent. The soft opt-in exception covers existing customers who bought, or negotiated to buy, similar products and were offered a simple opt-out at collection and in every message. It does not cover prospects or bought-in lists.[4]
Point 2
The ICO defines electronic mail to include direct messages via social media or any similar message stored electronically. It does not mention WhatsApp or messaging apps, so applying PECR to WhatsApp is an interpretation; the cautious reading treats a WhatsApp promotion like a text.[4]
Point 3
PECR lets you email or text corporate subscribers without consent, but sole traders and some partnerships count as individuals and need consent or the soft opt-in.[4]
Point 4
Under the 2025 Act the ICO can fine up to £17.5 million or 4% of global turnover for PECR breaches, up from a £500,000 cap; the old regime still applies to conduct before 5 February 2026. The ICO says its PECR marketing guidance is under review.[6],[7]
Point 5
From 5 February 2026 charities can send fundraising and charitable-promotion emails and texts to people who have shown interest in their purposes, with an opt-out at collection and in every message. Commercial businesses cannot use it.[8]
Point 6
The Telephone Preference Service and Corporate TPS are opt-out registers for live marketing calls. Texts fall under the electronic-mail consent rule instead, and so, on the cautious reading, does WhatsApp.[5]
Point 7
Meta's WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy lets a business message people only after they have shared their number or username and given opt-in permission to receive its messages.[21]
The UK is a services economy that already messages. These figures come from Ofcom, the Reuters Institute, the ONS, UK Finance and the House of Commons Library.
Ofcom's Online Nation 2025 found WhatsApp the most-used messaging app among UK online adults: it reached 90% of them in May 2025, 44.2 million people, and 74% used it on an average day (Ipsos iris data).[1]
Facebook Messenger came second at 58% reach, down 7% year on year, followed by Google Messages at 42% and Microsoft Teams at 19%.[1]
In the Reuters Institute's Digital News Report 2026, an online YouGov survey, 82% of UK respondents had used WhatsApp for any purpose in the previous week.[2]
Service industries produced 82% of UK economic output and 83% of employment in April to June 2026.[9]
Real GDP grew an estimated 0.4% in April to June 2026, after 0.6% in the first quarter (ONS first estimate). The population was estimated at 69.3 million in mid-2024, up 1.1% in a year.[11],[12]
Debit cards stayed the most-used payment method in 2025, contactless reached 39% of all payments, and 65% of adults were registered for at least one mobile payment service (UK Finance).[19]
English is the main language of 91.1% of residents of England and Wales aged three and over (Census 2021). Welsh has official status in Wales, but Meta's template list has no Welsh, so templates go out in English and Welsh belongs in replies inside the 24-hour service window.[14],[15],[22]
Six parts of the UK economy where a WhatsApp programme has an obvious job, each sized by an official figure.
£223.6 billion of output in 2025, about 8% of the economy; the Commons Library ranks it the fourth-largest industry by output.[10]
Online sales were 28.8% of Great Britain's retail sales value in August 2026 (seasonally adjusted, subject to revision).[13]
Official statistics estimate 306,700 people employed and £125.8 billion turnover in 2024/25, about 65% of it from biopharmaceuticals.[17]
An estimated £124.0 billion of GVA in 2023; IT, software and computer services was the largest part at £49.1 billion, and 51.7% of the sector's GVA was generated in London.[16]
4,885 operating digital businesses and 51,250 filled digital roles; the combined authority calls it the UK's largest AI cluster by employee count.[18]
A charity soft opt-in for fundraising and charitable-promotion emails and texts took effect on 5 February 2026.[8]
Timing
The UK changes its clocks twice a year and India does not, so the gap between a London desk and an Indian one moves by an hour each spring and autumn.
Great Britain and Northern Ireland run on Greenwich Mean Time in winter and on British Summer Time, an hour ahead, from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October. India keeps one clock all year.
For an Indian team that means a UK morning arrives after lunch in India, and a campaign meant to land at breakfast in Manchester can be scheduled before your own day ends. Drag the slider to see where a send time falls on both clocks.
InfiQ's own team works India time, Monday to Friday, in English and Hindi. If your UK customers expect answers in their evening, plan that cover inside your own team.
It arrives at 06:30 in United Kingdom — outside uk working day. London is 4 h 30 min behind India today.
Prices in ₹ and GBP
The UK has its own line on Meta's rate card. On InfiQ a marketing message to a UK number is ₹5.58, a utility message ₹1.93, an authentication message ₹1.93 and a service reply ₹1.93, all in rupees before GST. Plans start at ₹999 a month.
Snapshot rates · as of 20 Oct 2026, 00:02 UTC
Lite
₹999 / month≈ £7.90 GBP
₹833 / month, billed yearly≈ £6.59 GBP
Everything a growing business needs to run WhatsApp properly.
Growth
₹2,999 / month≈ £23.72 GBP
₹2,499 / month, billed yearly≈ £19.76 GBP
Lite, plus the API, automation and team scale serious senders need.
Enterprise
Custom volume pricing, custom SLA and dedicated infrastructure.
Per message to United Kingdom · United Kingdom
| Category | ₹ INR | GBP |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing | ₹5.5795 | £0.0441 |
| Utility | ₹1.9346 | £0.0153 |
| Authentication | ₹1.9346 | £0.0153 |
| Service | ₹1.9346 | £0.0153 |
| Market | Marketing | Utility | Authentication | Service |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | £0.0430₹5.4352 | £0.0181₹2.2874 | £0.0181₹2.2874 | £0.0181₹2.2874 |
| Bangladesh | £0.0509₹6.4397 | £0.0026₹0.3254 | £0.0026₹0.3254 | £0.0026₹0.3254 |
| Brazil | £0.0435₹5.4970 | £0.0047₹0.5981 | £0.0047₹0.5981 | £0.0047₹0.5981 |
| Chile | £0.0618₹7.8162 | £0.0139₹1.7585 | £0.0139₹1.7585 | £0.0139₹1.7585 |
| Colombia | £0.0087₹1.0993 | £0.0006₹0.0706 | £0.0006₹0.0706 | £0.0006₹0.0706 |
| Egypt | £0.0448₹5.6629 | £0.0025₹0.3167 | £0.0025₹0.3167 | £0.0025₹0.3167 |
| France | £0.0598₹7.5588 | £0.0209₹2.6393 | £0.0209₹2.6393 | £0.0209₹2.6393 |
| Germany | £0.0950₹12.0088 | £0.0383₹4.8386 | £0.0383₹4.8386 | £0.0383₹4.8386 |
| Hong Kong | £0.0509₹6.4397 | £0.0181₹2.2867 | £0.0181₹2.2867 | £0.0181₹2.2867 |
| Hungary | £0.0598₹7.5596 | £0.0243₹3.0700 | £0.0243₹3.0700 | £0.0243₹3.0700 |
| India | £0.0075₹0.9435 | £0.0015₹0.1941 | £0.0011₹0.1402 | £0.0011₹0.1450 |
| Indonesia | £0.0286₹3.6133 | £0.0174₹2.1979 | £0.0174₹2.1979 | £0.0174₹2.1979 |
| Iraq | £0.0237₹2.9992 | £0.0055₹0.6943 | £0.0055₹0.6943 | £0.0055₹0.6943 |
| Israel | £0.0246₹3.1045 | £0.0037₹0.4662 | £0.0037₹0.4662 | £0.0037₹0.4662 |
| Italy | £0.0552₹6.9847 | £0.0209₹2.6369 | £0.0209₹2.6369 | £0.0209₹2.6369 |
| Kazakhstan | £0.0420₹5.3098 | £0.0125₹1.5824 | £0.0125₹1.5824 | £0.0125₹1.5824 |
| Kuwait | £0.0551₹6.9671 | £0.0306₹3.8671 | £0.0306₹3.8671 | £0.0306₹3.8671 |
| Malaysia | £0.0598₹7.5644 | £0.0097₹1.2314 | £0.0097₹1.2314 | £0.0097₹1.2314 |
| Mexico | £0.0276₹3.4877 | £0.0059₹0.7471 | £0.0059₹0.7471 | £0.0059₹0.7471 |
| Morocco | £0.0288₹3.6425 | £0.0160₹2.0218 | £0.0160₹2.0218 | £0.0160₹2.0218 |
| Netherlands | £0.111₹14.0494 | £0.0348₹4.3987 | £0.0348₹4.3987 | £0.0348₹4.3987 |
| Nepal | £0.0509₹6.4397 | £0.0024₹0.2990 | £0.0024₹0.2990 | £0.0024₹0.2990 |
| Nigeria | £0.0359₹4.5421 | £0.0047₹0.5898 | £0.0047₹0.5898 | £0.0047₹0.5898 |
| Oman | £0.0237₹2.9992 | £0.0172₹2.1709 | £0.0172₹2.1709 | £0.0172₹2.1709 |
| Pakistan | £0.0329₹4.1620 | £0.0104₹1.3200 | £0.0104₹1.3200 | £0.0104₹1.3200 |
| Peru | £0.0489₹6.1843 | £0.0209₹2.6392 | £0.0209₹2.6392 | £0.0209₹2.6392 |
| Poland | £0.0254₹3.2105 | £0.0085₹1.0702 | £0.0085₹1.0702 | £0.0085₹1.0702 |
| Qatar | £0.0237₹2.9992 | £0.0083₹1.0547 | £0.0083₹1.0547 | £0.0083₹1.0547 |
| Romania | £0.0598₹7.5596 | £0.0201₹2.5436 | £0.0201₹2.5436 | £0.0201₹2.5436 |
| Russia | £0.0558₹7.0520 | £0.0278₹3.5173 | £0.0278₹3.5173 | £0.0278₹3.5173 |
| Saudi Arabia | £0.0400₹5.0537 | £0.0074₹0.9401 | £0.0074₹0.9401 | £0.0074₹0.9401 |
| Singapore | £0.0509₹6.4397 | £0.0111₹1.4072 | £0.0111₹1.4072 | £0.0111₹1.4072 |
| South Africa | £0.0264₹3.3385 | £0.0066₹0.8369 | £0.0066₹0.8369 | £0.0066₹0.8369 |
| Spain | £0.0492₹6.2161 | £0.0139₹1.7578 | £0.0139₹1.7578 | £0.0139₹1.7578 |
| Sri Lanka | £0.0509₹6.4397 | £0.0014₹0.1759 | £0.0014₹0.1759 | £0.0014₹0.1759 |
| Turkey | £0.0076₹0.9587 | £0.0006₹0.0792 | £0.0006₹0.0792 | £0.0006₹0.0792 |
| Ukraine | £0.0598₹7.5596 | £0.0207₹2.6138 | £0.0207₹2.6138 | £0.0207₹2.6138 |
| United Arab Emirates | £0.0400₹5.0537 | £0.0109₹1.3811 | £0.0109₹1.3811 | £0.0109₹1.3811 |
| United Kingdom | £0.0441₹5.5795 | £0.0153₹1.9346 | £0.0153₹1.9346 | £0.0153₹1.9346 |
| North America | £0.0174₹2.1976 | £0.0024₹0.2989 | £0.0024₹0.2989 | £0.0024₹0.2989 |
| Rest of Africa | £0.0157₹1.9796 | £0.0028₹0.3516 | £0.0028₹0.3516 | £0.0028₹0.3516 |
| Rest of Asia Pacific | £0.0586₹7.4057 | £0.0079₹0.9938 | £0.0079₹0.9938 | £0.0079₹0.9938 |
| Rest of Central & Eastern Europe | £0.0598₹7.5596 | £0.0147₹1.8595 | £0.0147₹1.8595 | £0.0147₹1.8595 |
| Rest of Latin America | £0.0514₹6.5048 | £0.0079₹0.9934 | £0.0079₹0.9934 | £0.0079₹0.9934 |
| Rest of Middle East | £0.0273₹3.4490 | £0.0063₹0.7998 | £0.0063₹0.7998 | £0.0063₹0.7998 |
| Rest of Western Europe | £0.0412₹5.2054 | £0.0119₹1.5019 | £0.0119₹1.5019 | £0.0119₹1.5019 |
| Other | £0.0420₹5.3098 | £0.0054₹0.6769 | £0.0054₹0.6769 | £0.0054₹0.6769 |
Plan prices are monthly, in rupees, excluding GST; yearly billing is two months free. Messages are charged per delivered message on top of the plan, at the rate for the recipient’s country. Full details: InfiQ pricing. For comparison, a marketing message to an Indian number is ₹0.94. Pound figures are conversions for budgeting; InfiQ invoices in rupees, with GST for Indian businesses.
Rates for every Meta market, plus plans and add-ons, are on one page.
See all plans and ratesOn InfiQ
The parts of InfiQ that matter most when the customers are in Britain, with the status of each.
Each contact's opt-in source and time are recorded, STOP replies are enforced at platform level (even against later imports), and the audit trail exports.
PECR and Meta both turn on opt-in. Each contact's source and time are recorded, and a STOP reply blocks later sends, even after a re-import.
Draft, submit and track WhatsApp message templates for Meta's approval, starting from a library of 1,000+ ready templates in 27 categories.
Every UK campaign starts as an approved template; draft in English (UK) and track each one through Meta's approval.
One WhatsApp number answered by a team: 10 users on Lite and 25 on Growth, agent and manager roles, transfers, private notes, labels and canned replies.
UK replies arrive through the Indian afternoon and evening; roles, transfers and canned replies let a team pick them up in order.
Shopify, WooCommerce, Razorpay, Zoho CRM, HubSpot, Google Sheets and others connect through InfiQ's API and webhooks today; native one-click connectors are still in development.
Shopify, WooCommerce and HubSpot connect through the API and webhooks today; native one-click connectors are still in development.
Keep using the WhatsApp Business app on the same number while the API runs alongside it, within Meta's coexistence limits.
If your number already runs on the WhatsApp Business app, you can keep the app while the API runs alongside it, within Meta's limits.
TLS 1.2+ in transit and AES-256 at rest, role-based access, two-factor sign-in, scoped API keys with IP allow-lists, and hash-chained audit logs.
Role-based access, two-factor sign-in and hash-chained audit logs help when a UK client asks who could see their customers' chats.
Two ways in
InfiQ serves India-based businesses. If yours is one, you can be sending to the UK soon after Meta verifies you; if your business is based in the UK, the route runs through sales.
Collect UK opt-ins that mention WhatsApp
Add a WhatsApp opt-in to checkout, web forms or an in-store QR code, worded for the channel, and keep the soft opt-in notice where you rely on it.
Verify with Meta and go live
InfiQ guides Meta business verification; once it is complete, a number is typically live in about two hours. A 7-day Lite trial needs no card.
Submit templates in English (UK)
Draft order, delivery and appointment templates first; marketing templates go only to contacts whose opt-in you have recorded.
Schedule for UK hours
Set sends by London time so they land in the UK working day, and keep an opt-out line in every promotion.
Talk to sales about availability
InfiQ bills in Indian rupees and supports teams in English and Hindi on India time. Availability for a business based in the UK goes through sales.
Review where data is processed
Customer data is processed in India. Read the data processing agreement and the sub-processor list before you decide.
Bring your consent records
If you are moving from another provider, export each contact's opt-in source and date so your PECR evidence moves with them.
Facts on this page were checked against these sources on the dates shown. InfiQ's rates come from its published rate card. Page updated 2026-10-20.
Start a 7-day Lite trial, no card needed, and send your first UK templates once Meta verification is complete. Based in the UK? Talk to sales about availability.
Route
IN → GB
Official WhatsApp Business Platform