Before launching a campaign, three checks help you avoid surprises: a test send, the cost estimate and a payment method. They happen at the last step of the campaign builder, before you click Submit Campaign.
Test before sending
The Test before sending button sends you the campaign as a test on WhatsApp. Use it to check:
the template's text, visual and formatting;
where the variables appear in the message;
the buttons and links: each link must lead to the right page.
The test uses placeholder values. Variables are not replaced with a real contact's data: the test message shows for example [FIRST_NAME] instead of the first name, [ORDER_ID] instead of the order number, an amount of 100.00 or a dummy tracking URL. This is expected: your customers will receive their own data.
A template must be approved by Meta before it can be sent, including as a test. If your template is still pending, wait for its approval before testing. The test is no longer offered once the campaign is sending or paused.
For a large campaign, you can also send it first to a small group (loyal customers or members of your team), then to the full audience.
Read the cost estimate
Kanal shows an estimate of the campaign cost as a range: a minimum cost and a maximum cost, broken down by country. The estimate is based on the selected audience, of which only the number of contacts is shown.
Why a range? A campaign is a flow: not every contact follows the same path. The minimum is the cheapest path (for example, only the first template is sent). The maximum is the most expensive path (for example, every contact also receives the follow-up).
Why by country? The price of a message depends on the country of the recipient's phone number and on the template category (Marketing or Utility).
What is billed: billing is per delivered message. A message that is not delivered is not billed, so the actual cost can be lower than the estimate.
Pricing is explained in detail in How much do WhatsApp conversations cost?
Check the payment method
WhatsApp messages are billed by Meta. Depending on your account, they are paid in one of two ways:
Card on your Meta account: if the screen asks you to add a payment method to your Meta account, add a card in Meta's Billing Hub (link offered in the panel), then come back to the campaign. Meta then bills the messages to you directly.
Kanal credits: if your team is billed by Kanal, Kanal pays the Meta fees on your behalf and re-invoices them. You buy credits by card (secure Stripe payment), with an automatic top-up (Auto-refill).
The steps are detailed in Updating your billing and payment information, and top-ups are explained in Managing your billing threshold and Auto-refill.
What's next?
Once these checks are done, choose when to send the campaign: Schedule, pause, resume or reschedule a campaign.