This article explains when AMS+ issues warnings based on spam complaints and hard bounces and when email sending is disabled.
Why AMS+ enforces email thresholds
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and anti-spam organizations monitor AMS+ as an email sender; when they see a cause for concern, they may slow or stop email delivery and that could impact your ability to send emails. The industry standard threshold for spam abuse complaints is 0.1 percent, which means 1 out of every 1,000 people reported your email as spam.
How spam and bounce thresholds are calculated
AMS+ tracks the number of emails sent and compares that total to:
- Spam complaints
- Hard bounces
These values are used to calculate rates and determine whether a campaign or workflow is within acceptable limits.
Threshold values
- Spam threshold
- 1 spam complaint per 1,000 emails sent
- Bounce threshold
- 10 hard bounces per 100 emails sent
Rate calculations
- Spam rate
- Number of spam complaints / Number of emails sent
- Example: 1 ÷ 1,000 = 0.001
- Bounce rate
- Number of hard bounces / Number of emails sent
- Example: 10 ÷ 100 = 0.10
What a spam warning means
Spam warnings are system notifications that indicate a campaign or workflow has received spam complaints.
A warning means the campaign or workflow is at risk of being disabled.
- AMS+ does not disable campaigns, workflows, or account-level email sending at the warning stage
- Warnings indicate that sending behavior should be reviewed
Common causes of increased spam complaints include:
- Sending to unengaged lists
- Content that appears spam-like
- Recipients not recognizing the sender
- Recipients not opting in
What happens when a campaign or workflow exceeds a threshold
If a campaign or workflow exceeds a spam or bounce threshold:
- The campaign or workflow is disabled
- An email notification is sent to inform you that the threshold was exceeded
What happens when email sending is disabled at the account level
If AMS+ detects a high volume of spam complaints or hard bounces across multiple sends over time:
- Email sending may be disabled for the entire account
- Workflows that send emails may also be disabled
This helps protect your sending reputation and maintain email deliverability.