Traffic quality and invalid traffic
What invalid traffic means, how it affects what advertisers pay and publishers earn, where you can see it and what you can do.
Updated 2026-11-02
Advertisers should pay for real readers, and publishers should be paid for real readers. Invalid traffic is activity that doesn't come from one, such as bots, or schemes built to inflate opens and clicks. The Invalid Traffic Policy is the full rule and lists the kinds.
If your account is billed by your ad network, you have no wallet here. Ask your ad network about credits.
What "filtered" means
Traffic that's filtered out isn't billable to advertisers or payable to publishers. A reader's mail app may still receive an ad. The filter decides what counts for money, not what the mail app shows.
Later analysis can also move traffic that first looked valid into invalid. The policy gives this a reconciliation window: 30 days from the end of the calendar month in which the traffic was served.
MailAdx keeps its detection methods confidential, so they keep working. Trying to test or get around the filters is itself a violation of the policy.
Where you see it
For advertisers and agencies
- You aren't charged for traffic filtered when it's served.
- If traffic is reclassified inside the window, the spend comes back to your wallet. In Wallet, it shows as Invalid traffic credit. Credits go to your wallet and aren't cash refunds, unless the law or an order form says otherwise.
- In the Publisher Directory, a publisher's card can show Invalid traffic, 28d.
For publishers
- You earn only on traffic that passes the filter.
- If traffic is reclassified inside the window, the earnings on it are reversed. If they've already been paid, they can be offset against later payouts.
- On a direct-sold campaign, the serving fee comes back to your wallet. In Wallet, it shows as Invalid traffic serving fee refund.
- On Inventory Details, Invalid traffic under Measured by MailAdx shows the share of your ad requests the filters rejected. It shows a dash until there's enough traffic to measure. Buyers can see this figure too.
- If a case is opened on your account, you'll see it under Account Health.
What you can do
For publishers
- Send only to people who opted in. Bought, rented or scraped lists aren't eligible.
- Keep your list clean: remove bounces and trap addresses.
- Don't reward readers for opening or clicking, and don't hide ad slots.
- Keep your inventory details accurate.
- Share sending logs or list sources if MailAdx asks.
For advertisers and agencies
If you suspect invalid traffic, raise it inside the reconciliation window, with your data. Reports from a third-party measurement vendor are considered if the vendor's method is accredited or open. MailAdx measurement stays the record for billing.
If something goes wrong
- You want to raise a dispute or a question. Contact support@mailadx.com with the dates, the campaign or ad unit, and your data.
- You want to report suspected fraud. Use the fraud reports address on the Invalid Traffic Policy.
Related
Still stuck? support@mailadx.com