SendGrid

Recurly's SendGrid integration lets you route customer emails through your own SendGrid account using SMTP relay. Once connected, all emails sent by Recurly — renewal reminders, invoices, payment confirmations — go through SendGrid, giving you improved deliverability, detailed performance analytics, and full visibility into how your messages reach subscribers.

Available on all Recurly plans

1Definition 2Key benefits 3Key details 4SendGrid implementation guide 5FAQs

SendGrid fees apply
Recurly does not charge extra for this integration. However, SendGrid's own pricing and policies apply based on your usage. See SendGrid pricing for details.

Definition

Recurly's SendGrid integration connects your merchant account to SendGrid's SMTP relay infrastructure using your own SendGrid service and API key. Emails generated by Recurly are sent through your SendGrid account, reducing the chance of messages landing in spam and giving you access to SendGrid's deliverability and analytics tooling.

Key benefits

Improved deliverability Route emails through SendGrid's SMTP relay to reduce spam filtering and improve inbox placement for renewal reminders, invoices, and payment notifications.

Email analytics Get visibility into bounce rates, open rates, and other performance metrics directly in your SendGrid dashboard.

Domain authentication Send emails from your own authenticated domain via SendGrid, reinforcing brand trust and reducing the likelihood of messages being flagged as suspicious.

Optional and self-service The integration is entirely optional. Recurly continues sending emails on your behalf if you choose not to set it up, and you can connect or disconnect at any time.

Key details

"From" address must matchThe "From" email address in your Recurly site settings must match an authorized sending address in your SendGrid account. If they don't match, emails may fail to send or be flagged as suspicious.

Managed integration

For merchants who prefer a fully managed setup, Recurly offers a Professional Services integration as an alternative to the self-service approach.

Plan requirementThe Managed Integration may not be included in Starter or Pro plans. Contact Recurly Sales to discuss upgrade options.

SendGrid implementation guide

Prerequisites

A SendGrid account with Domain Authentication configured. You can sign up for SendGrid here.
Site administration privileges on your Recurly account.

Get a SendGrid API key

Use an existing SendGrid API key or create a new one. The API key must have Mail Send permissions.

Add the API key to Recurly

In the Recurly Admin Console, go to Site Settings and paste your SendGrid API key into the SendGrid API key field. This establishes the connection between Recurly and your SendGrid account.

Transition time for queued emailsAny emails already queued before you add the API key will send as originally scheduled. After the key is saved, all subsequent queued emails will route through your SendGrid account. Allow some time for the active queue to process before the transition is fully complete.

FAQs

Is this integration required?

No. The SendGrid integration is entirely optional. It's available for merchants who want to use their own SendGrid account for greater visibility into email statistics and more control over deliverability. Recurly will continue sending emails on your behalf if you choose not to connect SendGrid.

Will Recurly keep sending emails if I don't set up SendGrid?

Yes. Recurly sends emails on your behalf by default. The SendGrid integration is an optional enhancement — not a requirement for email delivery.

How soon after adding my API key will emails start sending through SendGrid?

Allow some time for the system to process the active email queue. Once your API key is saved, new emails will route through your SendGrid account, but any emails already in the queue will finish sending through Recurly's default infrastructure first.

Is there a charge to use this integration?

Recurly does not charge extra to use this integration. SendGrid's own pricing and policies apply based on your usage.

I don't see the SendGrid API key field in my site settings. What do I need to do?

A user with the Configuration permission must be logged in to update the SendGrid API key. Once the key is set, its value will always be masked for security.