Mailchimp's pricing depends on the number of contacts you have. Therefore, understanding how different contact types are counted is very important. Cleaned contacts are a special group. They are email addresses that Mailchimp can no longer send emails to. But do these cleaned contacts count towards your bill? This article will explain everything. We will learn what cleaned contacts are. We will also see how they affect your Mailchimp account.
What Are Cleaned Contacts in Mailchimp?
Imagine you send a letter. Sometimes, the letter comes back. This happens if the address is wrong. Or maybe the mailbox is full. Email works in a similar way. When you send an email, it might "bounce" back. A bounced email means it did not reach the person. Mailchimp marks these bounced emails as "cleaned contacts."
There are two main types of bounces. First, there are "hard bounces." This means the email address is permanently bad. Maybe it was typed wrong. Perhaps the email address does not exist anymore. Mailchimp immediately marks these as cleaned. Second, there are "soft bounces." This means there is a temporary problem. For example, the person's inbox might be full. Or the email server could be down for a short time. Mailchimp cleaned contacts do not count towards your billing contact limit. Contact us for details loan phone number data Mailchimp will try sending to soft-bounced addresses a few more times. If it keeps failing, then Mailchimp marks it as cleaned. So, a cleaned contact is an email that Mailchimp has decided cannot get emails.
Why Do Emails Get Cleaned?
Emails become cleaned for good reasons. Sometimes, people make mistakes when signing up. They might type their email address incorrectly. For instance, instead of . This will cause a hard bounce. Also, some email addresses are simply fake. They might be made-up addresses. Sending emails to these fake addresses is a waste.
Furthermore, email servers can have issues. A server might be down. Or a person's inbox might be full. These are temporary problems. But if they happen many times, Mailchimp stops trying. Mailchimp does this to protect your sender reputation. If you send too many emails to bad addresses, other email providers might think you are a spammer. This can hurt your ability to send emails to good contacts too. So, cleaning is a helpful process.
Types of Bounces
It is good to understand bounces better. A hard bounce is like a permanent return-to-sender stamp. The email address is just not valid. This could be because the domain name is wrong. Or the user account does not exist. Mailchimp quickly recognizes these. It marks them as cleaned right away.
On the other hand, soft bounces are temporary. The email server might be busy. Or the recipient's mailbox is full. Mailchimp usually tries again with soft bounces. If it fails several times, the address is then changed to "cleaned." This process helps ensure that your email list stays healthy. It means you are only trying to reach active inboxes.
Do Cleaned Contacts Affect Mailchimp Billing?
This is a very important question. Many people wonder if they pay for cleaned contacts. The good news is, no! Mailchimp does not count cleaned contacts towards your billing limit. This is a big relief for many users. You only pay for active, subscribed contacts.
Mailchimp's pricing is based on the number of contacts in your audience. This means the people you can actually send emails to. Cleaned contacts cannot receive your emails. Therefore, Mailchimp excludes them from your active contact count. This helps you save money. It means you are not paying for addresses that are unusable.
For example, imagine you have 1000 contacts. If 50 of them are marked as "cleaned," Mailchimp counts you as having 950 active contacts for billing. This is a fair way to charge. It encourages good list hygiene. You are only paying for the potential to reach real people.
Why Mailchimp Doesn't Count Them
Mailchimp wants you to have a good sender reputation. Sending emails to bad addresses hurts this reputation. It also wastes Mailchimp's resources. By not counting cleaned contacts, Mailchimp encourages users to have clean lists. It removes the financial penalty for bounces. This makes it easier for you to keep your list healthy.
Furthermore, it ensures that your campaigns are more effective. You send emails to people who can actually receive them. This leads to better open rates and click rates. Ultimately, it helps your marketing efforts succeed. So, it is a win-win situation. Mailchimp protects its system and your reputation. You only pay for valuable contacts.
Managing Cleaned Contacts in Mailchimp
Even though cleaned contacts do not count for billing, you should manage them. Mailchimp offers ways to view these contacts. You can see which addresses are marked as cleaned. This helps you understand why some emails bounce. It also lets you keep your audience tidy.
You can find cleaned contacts in your Mailchimp audience. Go to your audience section. Then, you can create a segment for "cleaned" contacts. This will show you all the email addresses that Mailchimp has flagged. You cannot edit these cleaned contacts. This is because Mailchimp has decided they are truly undeliverable.
