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Mailchimp Integration

Mailchimp is one of the most popular email marketing platforms out there, and for good reason. But even the best platform can't save you from bounces if your list has bad emails lurking in it.

With Valid Email Checker's Mailchimp integration, you can verify your entire audience directly from your dashboard—no exports, no imports, no spreadsheet gymnastics. Just connect, verify, and you're done.

What You Can Do​

Once you connect Mailchimp to Valid Email Checker, you can:

  • Import any audience or list directly for verification
  • Verify emails without affecting your Mailchimp contacts
  • Auto-clean lists by removing or unsubscribing bad emails automatically
  • Remove duplicates before verification to save credits
  • Connect multiple Mailchimp accounts if you manage several
  • Track verification progress in real-time

Before You Start​

Make sure you have:

RequirementDetails
Mailchimp accountAny plan works (Free, Essentials, Standard, Premium)
Admin or Owner accessYou need permission to create API keys
Valid Email Checker credits1 credit per email verified
At least one audienceYou'll need contacts to verify

Finding Your Mailchimp API Key​

Mailchimp uses API keys for integrations. Here's how to get yours:

Step 1: Go to Your Profile​

  1. Log in to your Mailchimp account
  2. Click your profile icon in the bottom-left corner
  3. Select Profile from the menu

Step 2: Navigate to API Keys​

  1. Click Extras in the top navigation
  2. Select API keys from the dropdown

Mailchimp API keys page showing where to create a new key

Step 3: Create a New API Key​

  1. Scroll down to the Your API keys section
  2. Click Create A Key
  3. Give your key a descriptive name (like "Valid Email Checker Integration")
  4. Click Generate Key

Creating a new API key in Mailchimp with a descriptive name

Copy Your API Key Immediately

Mailchimp only shows your full API key once—right after you create it. After that, you'll only see the key's name. If you lose it, you'll need to create a new one.

Step 4: Copy the Full API Key​

Your API key will look something like this:

a1b2c3d4e5f6g7h8i9j0k1l2m3n4o5p6-us21

Important: Copy the entire key, including the part after the hyphen (like -us21). That suffix identifies your Mailchimp data center and is required for the connection to work.

Connecting Mailchimp to Valid Email Checker​

Now let's connect your account:

Step 1: Open the Integration Modal​

  1. Log in to your Valid Email Checker dashboard
  2. Click Bulk Upload in the sidebar
  3. Click the Connect Email Platform button
  4. Find and click Mailchimp from the list

Step 2: Enter Your Details​

Connect Mailchimp modal in Valid Email Checker

Fill in the connection form:

FieldWhat to Enter
Connection NameOptional. A friendly name like "Main Marketing Account"
Mailchimp API KeyPaste your full API key (including the data center suffix)

Step 3: Connect​

Click Connect Account. Valid Email Checker will verify your API key and establish the connection.

If successful, you'll see your Mailchimp audiences available for verification.

Verifying Your Mailchimp Lists​

Once connected, here's how to verify your contacts:

Step 1: Select Your List​

After connecting (or clicking Sync Now on an existing connection), you'll see your Mailchimp audiences:

Selecting a Mailchimp audience to verify in Valid Email Checker

  • Use the search bar to find specific audiences
  • Each list shows the contact count in parentheses
  • Click to select the audience you want to verify

Step 2: Choose Your Verification Mode​

You have two options:

Option A: Verify Only​

Select Verify only to:

  • Import and verify all emails
  • See results without changing your Mailchimp list
  • Decide what to do with bad emails after reviewing results

Option B: Clean List Automatically​

Select Clean list automatically to take action on bad emails right after verification:

Clean list automatically options showing actions for different email types

For each email type, choose an action:

Email TypeAvailable ActionsDefault
InvalidUnsubscribe, Delete, KeepUnsubscribe
DisposableUnsubscribe, Delete, KeepDelete
Catch-allUnsubscribe, Delete, KeepKeep
UnknownUnsubscribe, Delete, KeepKeep
RiskyUnsubscribe, Delete, KeepKeep
What's the Difference?

Unsubscribe keeps the contact in your audience but marks them as unsubscribed—they won't receive emails but you keep their data. Delete removes them completely from your Mailchimp audience.

Delete is Permanent

When you choose Delete, contacts are permanently removed from your Mailchimp audience. This cannot be undone. If you're unsure, use Unsubscribe instead—you can always delete later.

Step 3: Configure Additional Options​

  • Remove Duplicates: Toggle on to skip duplicate emails (saves credits)
  • Review the Credits needed vs Available credits

Step 4: Start Verification​

Click Import List to begin verification.

You'll be redirected to the Uploads & Results page where you can monitor progress.

Monitoring Your Verification​

Track your verification progress in real-time:

Uploads & Results page showing Mailchimp verification in progress

ColumnWhat It Shows
Task IDUnique identifier (e.g., VECKEG1AIU1)
List NameYour audience name with the Mailchimp icon
Upload DateWhen verification started
Total EmailsNumber of contacts being verified
StatusProcessing, Completed, Failed, or Deleted
ProgressPercentage complete with progress bar
ActionsView Results when complete

Verification Speed​

List SizeEstimated Time
100 emailsA few seconds
1,000 emails1-2 minutes
10,000 emails5-10 minutes
100,000 emails15-30 minutes
1,000,000 emails1-2 hours

The page updates automatically—no need to refresh.

Managing Your Mailchimp Connection​

From the Integrations Page​

Go to Integrations in the sidebar to see all your connections:

Integrations page showing connected Mailchimp account with management options

Click the three-dot menu (⋮) on any connection for options:

ActionWhat It Does
Sync NowRefresh your audience list from Mailchimp
RenameChange the connection's display name
DeleteRemove the connection entirely

When to Use Sync Now​

Use Sync Now when:

  • You've added new audiences in Mailchimp
  • You've imported new contacts to existing audiences
  • Lists aren't appearing that should be there
  • You want to re-verify an audience with new contacts

Connecting Multiple Mailchimp Accounts​

Managing multiple Mailchimp accounts? No problem.

Multiple Mailchimp accounts modal showing Add Another Account option

To Add Another Account:​

  1. Click Connect Email Platform → Mailchimp
  2. You'll see your existing connections
  3. Click + Add Another Account
  4. Enter the API key for your additional Mailchimp account
  5. Give it a unique name to tell them apart

Tips for Multiple Accounts​

  • Use clear names like "Agency - Client A" or "Personal Newsletter"
  • Each account needs its own API key from that Mailchimp account
  • Verifications are tracked separately for each connection

Mailchimp-Specific Tips​

Understanding Mailchimp Audiences​

Mailchimp calls contact lists "audiences." A few things to know:

  • Audience = List in other platforms
  • Each audience can have multiple segments and tags
  • Valid Email Checker imports the entire audience (all contacts in that audience)
  • Segments and tags are preserved—we only verify and optionally clean

About Unsubscribed vs. Deleted​

When you choose Unsubscribe for bad emails:

  • Contact stays in your audience
  • Marked as "Unsubscribed" in Mailchimp
  • Won't receive campaigns or automations
  • Still counts toward your audience limit
  • You keep their profile data

When you choose Delete:

  • Contact is permanently removed
  • Doesn't count toward audience limit
  • Profile data is gone forever
  • Cannot be undone
For Most Users

Unsubscribe is safer. You can always bulk delete unsubscribed contacts later from within Mailchimp. But you can't un-delete someone.

API Key Best Practices​

  • Create a dedicated API key for Valid Email Checker
  • Name it clearly so you remember what it's for
  • If you suspect the key is compromised, delete it and create a new one
  • You can have multiple active API keys

Troubleshooting​

"Invalid API Key" Error​

Cause: The API key is incorrect or incomplete.

Solution:

  1. Make sure you copied the full key including the data center suffix (e.g., -us21)
  2. Check for extra spaces before or after the key
  3. Verify the key hasn't been deleted or disabled in Mailchimp
  4. Try generating a new API key

"No Audiences Found"​

Cause: Your Mailchimp account doesn't have any audiences, or there's a permission issue.

Solution:

  1. Log in to Mailchimp and confirm you have at least one audience
  2. Check that the API key has full account access
  3. Click Sync Now to refresh the audience list

Audience Not Showing Up​

Cause: The audience list may be cached.

Solution:

  1. Go to Integrations in Valid Email Checker
  2. Find your Mailchimp connection
  3. Click the three-dot menu → Sync Now
  4. Wait a moment, then try selecting lists again

Verification Stuck at 0%​

Cause: Usually a temporary connection issue.

Solution:

  1. Wait a few minutes—it may start processing
  2. Check if Mailchimp is experiencing any outages
  3. Try disconnecting and reconnecting the integration
  4. Contact support if the issue persists

Changes Not Appearing in Mailchimp​

Cause: If you used "Clean list automatically," changes may take a moment to sync.

Solution:

  1. Wait 5-10 minutes for Mailchimp to process changes
  2. Refresh your Mailchimp audience page
  3. Check the verification results to confirm actions were taken

Frequently Asked Questions​

Does this affect my Mailchimp billing?​

No. Valid Email Checker uses Mailchimp's API to read and optionally modify contacts, but it doesn't affect your Mailchimp subscription or billing.

Can I verify segments instead of the whole audience?​

Currently, Valid Email Checker imports the entire audience. To verify just a segment, you'd need to export that segment from Mailchimp and upload it via file upload instead.

Will verified contacts be tagged in Mailchimp?​

No. Valid Email Checker verifies the emails but doesn't add tags or modify contact fields. Actions only include unsubscribe or delete for the "Clean list automatically" option.

What happens to archived contacts?​

Archived contacts in Mailchimp are not included in the verification. Only subscribed and unsubscribed (but not archived or deleted) contacts are imported.

Can I reconnect if I accidentally delete the integration?​

Yes! Just add a new connection with your API key. Your verification history in Valid Email Checker is preserved—only the connection is removed.

Is my Mailchimp data secure?​

Absolutely. We only access what's needed for verification (email addresses and contact status). We don't store your Mailchimp data after verification, and your API key is encrypted. See our Data & Privacy Policy for details.

Next Steps​

Your Mailchimp integration is ready! Here's what to do next:

Need Help?​

Running into issues? We're here to help: