> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.orbit.devotel.io/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Troubleshooting: WhatsApp sends blocked by a WABA billing failure (WHATSAPP_BILLING_ISSUE) > Diagnose Meta error 131042 — a payment-method problem on your WABA that hard-stops every send with an HTTP 409. Update billing in Meta Business Manager, verify account health, and re-send. # Troubleshooting: WhatsApp sends blocked by a WABA billing failure (WHATSAPP\_BILLING\_ISSUE) Every WhatsApp send against your WABA fails with HTTP **409** and the code `WHATSAPP_BILLING_ISSUE` (Meta error **131042** — "Business eligibility payment issue"). Meta refuses every send — template and free-form alike — because the payment method attached to the WABA is missing, declined, or expired, or a Pay-as-you-go balance has run dry. The stop is on Meta's billing layer, not on your Orbit connection or your templates. Billing holds live on Meta's side, not Orbit's — Orbit relays the refusal and returns a deterministic 409. Devotel never sees your card; the fix happens entirely in Meta Business Manager. Nothing here changes your Devotel wallet or credits. ## Symptom map | Symptom | Most likely cause | What to do | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Every send returns `WHATSAPP_BILLING_ISSUE` (HTTP 409)** | The card on the WABA was declined or expired, no payment method is attached, or a Pay-as-you-go balance is empty | Fix billing in Meta Business Manager (below), then re-send | | **Billing fixed minutes ago, sends still 409** | Meta needs a few minutes to confirm the new payment method | Wait \~5 minutes, verify health (below), then re-send | | **Dashboard banner says "WhatsApp sends blocked — payment issue on Meta"** | Same failure — Orbit renders the catalog presentation for code 131042 | Click the banner's **Fix billing on Meta** action; it deep-links to the WABA's payment page | Three look-alike codes demand different fixes — check which one your logs actually carry: * **`WHATSAPP_ACCOUNT_LOCKED`** (Meta 131031) — a policy lock. Every send fails, but re-authentication and billing updates both do nothing; only a Meta Business Support appeal lifts it. See the account-lock section of [Troubleshoot the WhatsApp connection](/troubleshooting/whatsapp-connection). * **`WHATSAPP_CONNECTION_INVALID`** — a dead or revoked access token. Fix is re-running Embedded Sign-up, not a billing update. * **`WHATSAPP_BILLING_ISSUE`** — the WABA itself is healthy and the token is fine; Meta refuses sends only until billing is resolved. That is this page. ## Read the failure The send API refuses deterministically — the call fails before Meta would queue anything: ```bash theme={null} curl -X POST "https://api.orbit.devotel.io/api/v1/messages" \ -H "X-API-Key: $ORBIT_API_KEY" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{ "to": "+15551234567", "channel": "whatsapp", "type": "template", "template": { "name": "order_shipped", "language": "en_US" } }' ``` On a billing hold the response is an HTTP **409** with the standard error envelope — the same shape every Devotel error returns: ```json theme={null} { "error": { "code": "WHATSAPP_BILLING_ISSUE", "message": "Meta rejected the send because of a payment-method problem on your WABA. Update billing in Meta Business Manager.", "status": 409, "details": { "whatsappErrorCode": 131042 } }, "meta": { "request_id": "req_abc123", "timestamp": "2026-09-12T08:41:07Z", "docs_url": "https://docs.orbit.devotel.io/errors/WHATSAPP_BILLING_ISSUE" } } ``` `details.whatsappErrorCode: 131042` confirms the refusal came straight from Meta's billing eligibility check. When Orbit can attach its in-app guidance, `details` also carries a `presentation` block (`fixSteps` plus a deep-link to the WABA's payment page) — the dashboard banner renders from that block directly. Meta's own Cloud API rejection, which Orbit relays, looks like this: ```json theme={null} { "error": { "message": "(#131042) Business eligibility payment issue", "type": "OAuthException", "code": 131042 } } ``` Either shape pinning `131042` means the same thing: billing, nothing else. ## Fix — update billing in Meta Business Manager 1. **Open the WABA's payment page.** In Meta Business Manager go to **Billing & payments → Payment settings** (or, from the Orbit dashboard banner, click **Fix billing on Meta** — it deep-links to the offending WABA when Orbit knows which WABA failed). 2. **Repair the payment method.** If the card was declined or expired, update it or add a new one. If the WABA bills **Pay-as-you-go** instead of a card, top the balance back up above zero. 3. **Wait for Meta to confirm.** Meta re-checks eligibility within a few minutes of the update; during that window sends still return 409. There is no re-connect step at Orbit — the stored token and WABA row are untouched by a billing fix. 4. **Re-send.** Once the hold clears, sends pass immediately — queued campaign sends are not auto-replayed, so re-send the failed batch. ## Verify before re-sending Check the consolidated health surface — it rolls up the WhatsApp verification posture with every other trust channel: ```bash theme={null} curl "https://api.orbit.devotel.io/api/v1/brand-identity/status" \ -H "X-API-Key: $ORBIT_API_KEY" ``` Look at the WhatsApp entry in the response: a healthy entry plus the next `meta.request_id` from a successful re-send is the confirmation the hold lifted. One check, one re-send — no polling loop. ## What not to do * **Do not retry-loop the send.** The refusal is deterministic — the same request returns the same 409 until the billing state changes at Meta. A retry loop burns your API rate budget and marks every attempt as a failed send. Fix billing first, then re-send once. * **Do not re-run Embedded Sign-up.** Re-authentication replaces tokens; it cannot touch Meta's billing eligibility. The connect layer is healthy here and re-running it changes nothing. * **Do not look for a payment method in Orbit.** Devotel never holds the WABA's card — paid WhatsApp conversation charges settle between you and Meta directly. The Orbit wallet and spend caps are a separate ledger and stay unaffected. * **Do not disconnect and re-connect the WABA.** Re-binding a billing- held WABA preserves the hold; sends fail identically until Meta accepts the payment update. ## Escalation payload If you updated billing at Meta and sends still return 409 after a few minutes, email [whatsapp-support@devotel.io](mailto:whatsapp-support@devotel.io) with: 1. Your **WABA id** (Meta Business Manager → WhatsApp Manager, or the `waba_id` on a template record). 2. The **most recent failing `meta.request_id`** from a re-send attempt after the billing update. 3. Which **billing model** the WABA uses (card on file or Pay-as-you-go). ## Related codes * [Troubleshoot the WhatsApp connection](/troubleshooting/whatsapp-connection) — `WHATSAPP_ACCOUNT_LOCKED` (Meta 131031) policy locks, `WHATSAPP_CONNECTION_INVALID` token faults, and `WHATSAPP_TOKEN_EXPIRED`. * [Troubleshoot a WhatsApp template](/troubleshooting/whatsapp-template) — pending, rejected, paused, and reclassified templates once billing is healthy again. * [Error codes](/reference/error-codes) — the full `WHATSAPP_*` catalog with HTTP statuses, including every Meta 13xxxx code Orbit maps.