WhatsApp could be letting businesses contact you directly – with a fee. According to a Reuters report, the popular messaging service is testing a system that would allow companies to pay a small fee to talk directly with consumers using WhatsApp.

Currently the test is being run with a few companies that are part of  Y Combinator startup incubator. According to Reuters, since its acquisition by Facebook three years ago, WhatsApp hasn’t developed a business model. With this move, WhatsApp is looking more seriously into money generation. The messaging service is used by over 1 billion people worldwide.

With this test, WhatsApp is hoping to create a revenue source, by charging businesses that want to contact their customers directly via the app. Although, the company wants to avoid problems like spam messages. They are also conducting surveys with customers to gauge response and usage for talking to businesses on WhatsApp, and whther they’ve received spam.

The plan to develop this API was announced last year, with the company noting examples like users talking to a bank about a fraudulent transaction or to an airline about a delayed flight.

Although it’s not specifically noted that the systems would be automated or not, some of the pilots currently running relies on automated systems. One of the startups Cowlar is interested in using the system to send automatic alerts to dairy farmers in remote areas. Cowlar makes collars for dairy cows, collecting activity data and recommending changes to improve milk yield.