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Transactional emails are automated, non-marketing messages sent in direct response to a user action — think order receipts, account confirmations, password resets, and system notifications. SendWhale supports transactional sending through a dedicated API separate from your marketing campaigns.
Transactional email credentials are different from marketing credentials and brand read keys. Using the wrong credential type will result in authentication errors. Keep your credential types clearly labelled and never substitute one for another.
The transactional email API requires additional setup. Contact support@gosendwhale.com if you need access enabled for your workspace.

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Setting up transactional email

1

Create a transactional email template

In your SendWhale workspace, create a dedicated email template for the transactional message you want to send (for example, an order confirmation or a welcome email). Design the template with any merge variable placeholders you intend to populate dynamically at send time.
2

Generate transactional API credentials

Navigate to your workspace API settings and generate a dedicated set of credentials for transactional sending. These credentials are separate from your marketing API keys and brand read keys — do not reuse credentials across sending types.
3

Send via the transactional API

Use the transactional API to send your message. Include the template ID, the recipient email address, and any optional merge variables in your request payload.

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Authentication

Pass your transactional API credentials in the Authorization header of every request. Do not use brand read keys or campaign API keys — those credential types are not accepted by the transactional sending endpoint and will return an authentication error.

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Accepted payload fields

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Sending limits

Transactional sending limits apply based on your SendWhale plan. Review your plan details for the maximum number of transactional sends per day or month. If you need higher limits, contact support@gosendwhale.com.

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Event tracking

SendWhale tracks the following events per transactional message:
  • Delivery — the message was accepted by the recipient’s mail server
  • Bounce — the message could not be delivered
  • Complaint — the recipient marked the message as spam
Review event data in your workspace to monitor deliverability and address recurring bounce or complaint issues promptly.