Own email server (SMTP)

Emails from your own address

Booking confirmations, reminders and receipts are some of the most important emails a traveller receives. When they arrive from your own address, such as bookings@yourbusiness.com, travellers recognise them, replies reach your own mailbox, and your domain builds its own sending reputation. The Own email server plugin sends your business’s traveller emails through your own email provider.

You can connect in two ways: an SMTP server, such as Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 or Zoho, or an email provider’s API: Postmark, SendGrid or Mailgun. When your own server is set, it is used for your business’s emails instead of Tourtify’s.

Setting up SMTP or an API

For SMTP you enter the server, port, security, username and password. Port 587 uses STARTTLS and 465 uses SSL/TLS; 25 and 2525 also work, and no other ports are accepted. With Google or Microsoft two-step sign-in, create an app password rather than using your normal one.

For an API you paste the key: a Postmark server API token, a SendGrid API key with Mail Send, or a Mailgun sending key with your sending domain and region (US or EU). A test email lets you check the connection before you rely on it, and if your server refuses, the error it gave is shown.

Passing the domain checks

Large mailbox providers check that a sender is allowed to use its domain. Tourtify checks your sending domain’s three records: SPF (your provider may send for the domain), DKIM (a signing key is published) and DMARC (a policy exists). Each shows pass, warn or fail, with what was found and what to add. It recognises the usual records of Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Zoho Mail, SendGrid, Mailgun, Postmark, Amazon SES and Brevo, and you can enter your DKIM selector if your provider gave you one.

A worked example: you switch to Microsoft 365. The check shows SPF passing with spf.protection.outlook.com, DMARC passing, and DKIM failing because selector1 isn’t published yet. You add the record your provider gives you, press re-check, and all three pass.

A log of every email

The Own email server page keeps a log of every email sent, so when a traveller says a confirmation never arrived you can see whether it left and what happened. If you also use Campaigns, campaign emails sent through your own server don’t count against the plan’s monthly sending allowance.

Setting up Own email server (SMTP)

1. 1Switch on Own email server. Turn the plugin on and enter the address to send from.
2. 2Choose SMTP or an API. Pick SMTP for Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 or Zoho, or Postmark, SendGrid or Mailgun.
3. 3Enter the connection details. Server, port, security and an app password for SMTP, or the API key for a provider.
4. 4Run the domain check. Fix any SPF, DKIM or DMARC result that needs attention, then re-check.
5. 5Send a test email. Send one to yourself and check it arrives, including in spam.