WhatsApp error 131042: A payment-method problem stops sending
The ArabyBot teamOfficial Meta partner · written from our own platform dataOn this page 5
The short answer
Error 131042 means the WhatsApp Business account at Meta has no valid payment method, or its billing setup is broken, so Meta refuses the messages you send through the official API until it is fixed. Sending again does not help; add a valid payment method or correct the billing account in Meta's payment settings, and messages start delivering again.
Why error 131042 appears
- No payment method was ever added to the WhatsApp Business account, or the card on it expired.
- The card was declined on the last charge, or the account passed its credit limit.
- A partner credit line was removed or is no longer shared with the account.
- The account currency or time zone is set in a way billing does not accept, or the account itself is not in good standing.
How to fix it, step by step
- Open the payment settings at Meta
In Meta Business Manager open «Billing & payments», then choose the WhatsApp Business account tied to the number.
- Add or renew a valid payment method
Add a card that works for international payments, or update the expired one, and make sure it can cover the first charge.
- Check the account status
In WhatsApp Manager confirm the account is active and has no pending billing warning.
- Send a test, then resume
Send one message to your own number; once it delivers, resume the paused campaign and automatic replies work again.
What ArabyBot does about it
- The reason appears in plain words under the message itself in the inbox, on the web and in the phone app, with what to do — instead of Meta's raw English.
- A broadcast stops at the first customer this error hits instead of running through the whole audience, because the next customer would fail the same way; you resume it after the fix.
- AI replies on that number pause so no message is spent for nothing, you get ONE WhatsApp alert plus a dashboard notice, and replies resume on their own once messages deliver again.
Related codes
- 134011WhatsApp Payments terms are not accepted yet
- 132012Variable values are not in the template's format
- 131026The message could not be delivered to this number
- 132000The number of values does not match the template's variables
- 131049Meta held back a marketing message from this customer
- 131053The image or file could not be uploaded
Every WhatsApp error code, grouped by kind ←
Questions about error 131042
Why do my replies from the WhatsApp Business app arrive but the bot's do not?
Because the phone app does not go through the official API's billing, while the bot sends through the API that Meta blocks on this error. We have seen it on numbers running the app and the API together: the phone sends normally while the API refuses until a payment method is added.
Am I charged for messages that failed with this error?
No; Meta bills for delivered messages, and a message refused with this error was never sent.
How long until sending works after adding the card?
Usually a few minutes. If it persists beyond an hour, check that the card was actually accepted and that you edited the account tied to the number.
Source: Meta's official error code reference, with what we see on our own platform.
Try the agent before you pay anything
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