Email Communication: Emails Going to Spam

We understand how important it is that families & staff receive your communications, especially invoices, statements, reminders, rosters and centre updates.

If families have reported that emails from your service are being delivered to their Spam or Junk folder, this is usually related to how email providers identify and filter automated messages.

Why Does This Happen?

When Discover sends emails on behalf of your service, the receiving email provider (such as Gmail, Outlook, Hotmail, Yahoo, or Xtra) checks a range of factors to determine whether the message should be delivered to the Inbox or Spam folder.

One common cause is when a personal email address is used as the sender for automated or bulk communications.

Examples include:

• Gmail addresses
• Hotmail addresses
• Outlook.com addresses
• Yahoo addresses
• Xtra addresses

These personal email accounts are designed primarily for one-to-one communication rather than bulk or automated email sending. As a result, some email providers may treat these messages as less trustworthy and deliver them to Spam or Junk folders.

Important Information for Centres Using Xtra Email Addresses

As of April 2026, Microsoft has stopped accepting bulk emails sent from Xtra email addresses.

This means that while you can still send and receive emails directly from your Xtra mailbox, emails sent through Discover on your behalf may be blocked when being delivered to some Microsoft email addresses.

Families using the following email domains may be affected:

• hotmail.com
• hotmail.co.nz
• outlook.com
• outlook.co.nz
• live.com
• msn.com

If a parent uses one of these email addresses, they may not receive communications sent through Discover when your centre is using an Xtra email address as the sender.

Do I Need to Contact Discover?

If your centre is already using a business domain email address (for example, admin@yourcentre.co.nz), you do not need to contact Discover or make any changes as a result of the Microsoft/Xtra email restrictions.

This issue primarily affects centres using personal email providers such as Xtra, Gmail, Hotmail, Outlook.com, or Yahoo as their sending address.

Is This a Discover Issue?

No.

Discover successfully sends the email; however, the final delivery decision is made by the recipient's email provider.

Because each email provider has its own filtering and security rules, Discover cannot control whether a message is delivered to an Inbox, Promotions folder, Junk folder, or blocked entirely.

For centres using Xtra email addresses, the current Microsoft restrictions are external to Discover and would require changes from Spark to resolve. As Xtra email accounts are intended for consumer use, such changes are unlikely to be made.

Other Factors That Can Affect Email Deliverability

The sending email address is only one factor email providers consider when assessing emails.

Email Signatures

Large or complex email signatures can sometimes impact deliverability, particularly when they contain:

• Multiple images or logos
• Large image file sizes
• Numerous hyperlinks
• Social media icons and buttons
• Extensive formatting copied from websites

Simple, professional email signatures are generally recommended for bulk communications.

Sender Display Name

The name families see in their inbox can also influence how an email is perceived.

Examples:

* Little Learners Early Education
* ABC Childcare Centre

Rather than:

X Admin

X Accounts Team
X No Reply

Using a clear and recognisable Centre name helps families identify your communications and can improve engagement.

Email Content

Some email content may trigger spam filters more readily, including:

• Excessive use of CAPITAL LETTERS
• Large numbers of hyperlinks
• Very large attachments
• Marketing-style language
• Poorly formatted email templates

Recipient Engagement

Email providers monitor how recipients interact with emails. Future communications may be more likely to be filtered if recipients regularly:

• Delete emails without opening them
• Mark emails as spam
• Ignore communications
• Move messages to their Junk folder

How Can I Improve Email Delivery?

Option 1: Use a Business Domain Email Address (Recommended)

We strongly recommend using an email address that matches your organisation's domain.

Examples:

* admin@yourcentre.co.nz
* accounts@yourcentre.com.au

Instead of:

X yourcentre@xtra.co.nz

X yourcentre@gmail.com
yourcentre@hotmail.com

Business domain email addresses are generally recognised as more trustworthy and are less likely to encounter delivery issues.

Option 2: Use an Alternative Email Address Within Discover

If you currently use an Xtra email address, consider changing the sending address in Discover to something similar to:

noreply.centrename@gmail.com

You can still direct families to your preferred contact email by updating your email signature template.

Option 3: Ask Families to Use an Alternative Email Address

For families who use affected email domains, you may wish to request an alternative email address for centre communications.

This can help ensure invoices, statements, and important notices are received reliably.

Option 4: Ask Families to Mark Emails as Safe

If a family finds one of your emails in their Spam or Junk folder, ask them to:

1. Open the email.
2. Select "Not Spam" or "Not Junk".
3. Move the email into their Inbox.

This helps train their email provider to recognise future emails from your service as safe.

Where Do I Update My Email Address Settings?

If you need to update the email addresses used by Discover, navigate to:

Centre Settings → Send Emails From the Following Accounts

This section is located approximately three-quarters of the way down the page.

The fields that may require updating are:

• Email Address
• Accounts Email
• Marketing Email

Other Things to Check

Review Your Email Templates

Navigate to:

Centre Settings → Email Templates

Review your templates and consider:

• Reducing the number of images used
• Removing unnecessary links
• Simplifying formatting
• Ensuring the sender name clearly identifies your Centre
• Keeping email signatures concise and professional

Avoid Spam Trigger Words

Some words and phrases commonly used in bulk emails can contribute to messages being filtered by spam detection systems.

You can review this helpful list of commonly identified spam trigger words:

Comprehensive List of Spam Trigger Words

Actions You Can Take

If your emails are being delivered to Spam or Junk folders:

• Use a business domain email address wherever possible.
• Review the Email Address, Accounts Email, and Marketing Email fields in Centre Settings.
•  Check your email templates for excessive images, links, formatting, or large signatures.
• Ensure your sender display name clearly identifies your Centre.
• Ask families to move your emails from Spam/Junk into their Inbox and mark them as safe.
• Encourage families using Hotmail, Outlook, Live, or MSN email addresses to provide an alternative email address if delivery issues persist.
• Review your communications for content that may trigger spam filters.
• If you are already using a business domain email address, no action is required regarding the Microsoft/Xtra-specific issue and you do not need to contact Discover Support.
• If you are using an Xtra or other personal email address and would like guidance on the best option for your Centre, our Support Team will be happy to assist.