What the error means
In Meta's documentation, 131042 is described as an error related to your payment method. Since July 2025 Meta charges for each template message delivered, so the WhatsApp Business account needs a valid payment method to send.
Meta lists the common causes: no payment account, an exceeded credit limit, and a time zone or currency that was never set on the account.
What to check
- Is there a card on the WhatsApp Business account? This is separate from the ads account. A card saved for ads does not count for WhatsApp.
- Was the card accepted? A declined, expired or maxed-out card gives the same error.
- Are the time zone and currency set on the account? Without them the charge can't be created.
- Are you looking at the right account? Merchants with several accounts in Meta often add the card to the wrong one.
How to fix it
- Open the right account in WhatsApp ManagerChoose the WhatsApp Business account that is connected to your sending.
- Go to the payment settings of that accountAdd a card or confirm the one that is there. Check the time zone and currency.
- Wait for Meta to confirm, then send a testOnce the payment method is accepted, sends start going through again.
Notil's own store went three days without sending because of exactly this: the WhatsApp Business account had no payment method, and that setting is separate from the ads account. It's why Notil now checks the account health every 10 minutes and shows a warning in the dashboard before customers' messages fail.
How Notil helps
After you connect WhatsApp, Notil reads the account health report every 10 minutes. If the account is blocked for a missing payment method, the warning appears in your dashboard, and it clears itself once messages are delivered again.