Why Accounts Get Suspended

If you tried to log in to Mailchimp but got an Account Suspended message, our abuse-prevention system or human review team likely noticed something about your account or last marketing email that raised a red flag.

In this article, you'll learn why accounts are suspended.

Beginning February 2024, Gmail and Yahoo will require a custom authentication and a published Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance (DMARC) record for anyone sending more than 5,000 emails to Gmail or Yahoo addresses in a 24-hour period. To prevent your emails from bouncing, we strongly recommend authenticating your email domain and configuring DMARC.

Also, if you use a free email service like Gmail or Yahoo for your From email address, we strongly recommend you switch to an email address from a private domain, like the one you use for work or for your website.

For more information about custom authentication and DMARC, check out About Email Domain Authentication.

Red flags

Our Compliance team works with the abuse-prevention system Omnivore to keep the Mailchimp ecosystem healthy and free of activity that violates the CAN-SPAM Act or our Terms. This list outlines some activity that could be flagged for review.

• Your account information looks anonymous
  Don't conceal your identity when you create an account, because that's typically associated with spammer behavior. When a user creates an account under a name like John Doe from Anywhere, USA, the system assumes you have something to hide.
• You've had issues with recent emails
  When your most recent email receives spam complaints or contains "spammy" content, Omnivore makes a note of it. "Spammy" content can be anything from the use of certain words, building messy code, or including too many images.
• The audience collection process is unclear
  Mailchimp is serious about sending permission-based email. Cold calls and prospect messages without express permission is a red flag for us. We'll also want to know where and how your signup form is managed. If you're put under review and we can't find a signup form on your website, we'll ask where you got your audience.
• You signed up with a free email account
  If you use a free email service like Gmail or Yahoo Mail, we'll make a note of it. If your account activity merits other red flags, using freemail could count against you. We recommend that you use a custom domain and authenticate it.
• Recent email activity violates our Terms of Use
  Be sure to stay current on our Terms of Use, to keep your account compliant. Our Terms are similar to anti-spam laws, but in some cases, are more stringent.

Getting unsuspended

If we suspend your account, we'll contact you as soon as possible to let you know why, and to give you details on how to fix the situation.