---
title: "Test email preferences, consent and unsubscribe with test accounts · Proxy Mail QA"
description: "Check that each type of email reaches only the people who chose it, that unsubscribe links work in one step and that receipts still arrive, with one test account per preference setting."
url: https://proxymail.qa/use-cases/email-preferences
---

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# Testing email preferences and unsubscribe

An email sent to someone who opted out turns into a complaint, a spam report or worse. The way to know your preferences work is a set of accounts with different settings, and an inbox for each to see what actually arrives.

Updated October 13, 2026

## The accounts you need

| Account       | Preferences                                  | What it checks                                                            |
| ------------- | -------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Everything on | Opted in to all emails                       | Every type of email arrives                                               |
| Marketing off | Left marketing unticked at sign-up           | No newsletters or offers, while receipts and security emails still arrive |
| One topic     | Chose a single topic, such as match-day news | Only that topic arrives                                                   |
| Unsubscribed  | Unsubscribed from a newsletter’s link        | One click is enough, and nothing more of that type arrives                |
| Digest        | Chose a weekly digest                        | One email a week, not one per event                                       |
| Unconfirmed   | Hasn’t confirmed a double opt-in             | Nothing but the confirmation email until they confirm                     |

## Set them up

1. **Create the set in one go**: choose **Add account**, set **How many**, label the batch “Preferences” and tick **Generate persona**.
2. **Sign up as each** and set its preferences, at sign-up or in your preference centre.
3. **Tag each address with its setting**, such as `all`, `no-marketing` or `digest`, and write the exact choices in its notes.
4. **Trigger each type of email** on staging: a newsletter, an offer, a reminder, a receipt and a security alert.

## What to check

- **Defaults:** marketing is off until someone opts in, where the law requires it (nothing pre-ticked in the UK and EU).
- **Each type respects its setting**, while receipts and security emails ignore marketing choices, as they should.
- **Unsubscribe** works in one step without signing in, and the preference centre shows the change.
- **Opting back in** works, and double opt-in sends exactly one confirmation.
- **Frequency:** digests and caps send the number of emails you expect, not one per event.

## The emails to check

Every newsletter, offer, reminder and digest, for every account. A real inbox filters and sorts mail; these don’t, so you see exactly what was sent to whom. Compare the rows after each send, and open the inbox to check the unsubscribe link and footer in each email.

Use these accounts only on apps you build or are allowed to test, in development, staging or QA.

## Try it on your next sign-up test

Free plan, no credit card. Create an address and watch the code or link arrive.

[Create a free account](https://app.proxymail.qa/?mode=signup)

## Questions

### How do I prove an email wasn't sent?

Trigger the same email for every test account, then compare their inboxes: the accounts that opted out should have nothing new. Filter the Accounts page by the batch's tag to see every row together.

### Does Proxy Mail QA click unsubscribe links?

No. We never open links, so nothing unsubscribes by accident, and you can check that the link works the first time you click it.

### Can I check headers such as List-Unsubscribe?

Turn on debug mode in the project's settings, and each new email's original file, with every header, can be downloaded from the inbox until the address expires.

## Related guides

- [Test age gates and age-restricted contentOne account per age band, from under 13 to turning 18 tomorrow, with parental consent emails and each date of birth noted.](https://proxymail.qa/use-cases/age-restricted-content)
- [Test content that depends on locationAn account per country for geo-blocked content, regional prices, tax and consent, and a traveller who crosses a border.](https://proxymail.qa/use-cases/location-based-content)
- [Test predictor game scoringA player for every scoring rule, with picks and expected points in the notes, so the leaderboard proves the rules work.](https://proxymail.qa/use-cases/predictor-games)
- [Test membership tiers and paywallsFree, trial, paid, top-tier and lapsed accounts, and every subscription email from welcome to payment failed.](https://proxymail.qa/use-cases/membership-tiers)
- [Test roles and permissionsOwner, admin, editor, viewer, removed user and another customer’s admin, each invited by email and signed in for real.](https://proxymail.qa/use-cases/roles-and-permissions)
- [Test ticket ballots and prize drawsEnough entrants for some to win and some to lose, with priority members, duplicates, and a winner who never pays.](https://proxymail.qa/use-cases/ballots-and-prize-draws)
- [Test referral rewards and welcome offersReferrer, friends and first-time customers, plus the self-referral and repeat claims your rules should refuse.](https://proxymail.qa/use-cases/referrals-and-welcome-offers)
- [Test both sides of a marketplaceBuyer, seller, a second buyer and a moderator, so every order, message, refund and review email is checked from both ends.](https://proxymail.qa/use-cases/marketplaces)
- [Test email changes, lockouts and account deletionAn old and a new address for change of email, plus accounts to lock out, reset, protect with codes and delete.](https://proxymail.qa/use-cases/account-changes)

[See every email testing problem we solve →](https://proxymail.qa/solve)