WhatsApp notifications: credits vs. your own account
Updated on Friday 22 May 2026
The two ways to send WhatsApp from Citauno: use our credits (fast) or connect your own account (scale).
WhatsApp is the preferred channel for most of your customers in Paraguay. Citauno lets you send automatic messages (confirmations, reminders) over WhatsApp in two different ways, and which one you use depends on your volume and level of branding.
The two options to compare
| Platform credits | Your own WhatsApp (Embedded Signup) | |
|---|---|---|
| Who sends the message | Citauno (from its number) | Your own WhatsApp Business number |
| The customer sees | “Citauno: your booking at Bella Studio…” | “Bella Studio: your booking…” |
| Cost | Included in your plan + extra packs | Meta rates directly (cheaper at high volume) |
| Setup time | 0 minutes (already active) | 15-30 minutes (Embedded Signup) |
| Requires | Nothing extra | A Meta Business account + a dedicated number |
| Ideal for | Small to mid-sized businesses, getting started | Businesses with 500+ messages/month or a strong brand |
| Maintenance | None | Renewing tokens periodically |
How platform credits work
Each plan includes 50 WhatsApp messages per professional per month. If you have 3 professionals, that’s 150 free messages/month.
A “message” counts every time a WhatsApp goes out from Citauno to your customer:
- New booking confirmation.
- Reminder 24 hours ahead.
- Cancellation confirmation.
- Messages you send manually from the dashboard.
If you run short, you buy additional packs:
| Pack | Messages | Approximate price |
|---|---|---|
| Small pack | 100 messages | ~PYG 25,000 |
| Medium pack | 500 messages | ~PYG 100,000 |
| Large pack | 2,000 messages | ~PYG 350,000 |
(Exact prices in Settings → WhatsApp.)
The packs don’t expire. If you buy a pack of 500 and only use 200 this month, the remaining 300 carry over to the next.
How to activate platform credits
There’s nothing to do — it’s on by default. When a customer books, Citauno sends the WhatsApp automatically from our shared number.
To review your usage:
- Settings → WhatsApp → Messages sent.
- You see a monthly chart with how many you sent and how many you have left.
How your own WhatsApp works (Embedded Signup)
You connect your own WhatsApp Business account (from Meta) to Citauno. When Citauno needs to send a message, it sends it through your account — which means:
- The customer sees the message coming from your number (the one they have saved as your business on their phone).
- Your WhatsApp Business name and profile photo are the ones that appear.
- You pay Meta (Facebook) directly for each message according to its per-country rate.
Advantages:
- Full professionalism: the message looks like it’s coming from you, not from an external system.
- Cheaper at scale: above 500 messages/month, Meta is more economical than buying packs.
- Two-way: if the customer replies to the WhatsApp, you see the conversation in Citauno (and you can reply from the dashboard).
Drawbacks:
- A longer setup (15-30 min with the guide).
- Requires complying with WhatsApp Business policies.
- You pay Meta in USD/EUR (you need an international card).
When each one is the better fit
Stick with credits if:
- You’re just getting started and want to try out Citauno.
- You send fewer than 200 messages a month.
- You don’t have a technical team to handle the Meta setup.
- Your brand doesn’t depend on the message coming from your name.
Switch to your own WhatsApp if:
- Your business grows and the packs get expensive.
- You want every message to reinforce your brand.
- You want to see and reply to the messages your customers send.
- You have someone who can do the technical setup (30 min, just once).
Migrate from credits to your own WhatsApp
If you started with credits and want to switch:
- Settings → WhatsApp → Switch to your own account.
- Tap “Connect my WhatsApp Business”.
- Follow the Embedded Signup flow (see Connect your own WhatsApp with Embedded Signup).
- Once connected, all future messages go out from your account.
Your unused credits remain available as a backup: if your own WhatsApp fails for any reason (expired token, an issue with Meta), Citauno uses the credits as a fallback so you don’t lose messages.
Messages that are sent automatically
Regardless of the mode, Citauno sends these messages:
| Message | When | For whom |
|---|---|---|
| Booking confirmation | When the booking is confirmed | Customer |
| Reminder 24 hrs ahead | 24 hours before the appointment | Customer |
| Reminder 2 hrs ahead | 2 hours before the appointment (optional) | Customer |
| Cancellation | When the booking is canceled | Customer |
| Rescheduling | When the date/time changes | Customer |
| Deposit confirmation | When the deposit is paid | Customer |
| Team notice | A new booking came in | Professional (optional) |
You can turn each one on or off in Settings → Notifications.
Templates
The messages use templates pre-approved by Meta (WhatsApp Business API policies). You can’t change the base text, but you can:
- Customize the signature (“Bella Studio Team” instead of the default name).
- Turn on/off the inclusion of a Google Maps link with the address.
- Change the emoji that appears (💼, 💛, ✨, etc.).
Set this up in Settings → Notifications → Templates.
Common errors
| Symptom | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| The customer says they didn’t get a WhatsApp | Their number is entered wrong or they have WhatsApp on another, unsynced device | Check the number and resend manually |
| I ran out of credits mid-month | A monthly spike in bookings | Buy a small pack or switch to your own account |
| The name that appears is “Citauno”, I want mine | You’re in credits mode | Switch to your own WhatsApp |
| Messages with odd characters (¡¿) | Incorrect template encoding | Report it to support — it’s a template bug |
What you’ve got now
- An understanding of the two ways to send WhatsApp.
- The criteria to decide which to use based on your volume and needs.
- Knowledge of how many credits your plan includes.
Next step
If you decided to use your own WhatsApp, continue with Connect your own WhatsApp with Embedded Signup.