I've requested Amazon SES production access three times and keep getting rejected, despite explaining my setup in detail. I'm using a verified sending subdomain rather than the root domain, have automated bounce and complaint handling, validation and verification processes, alerts, and documented email best practices and success metrics. The latest response says that signals associated with my use case could harm deliverability for both my account and the broader SES service, but it doesn't identify what specifically needs to change.
I mainly need email for Cognito integration and for a site feature where registered users can create criteria-based alerts and receive an email when something matches. The account itself has been on AWS's free tier for more than four years, although SES was only activated recently for this project. Should I keep appealing, or would it be more practical to use a third-party email provider?
3 Answers
Support usually can’t override the final SES production-access decision. They may be able to review the case or route your concerns to the right team, but the actual approval has to come through the existing support process. If you continue the appeal, provide concrete details rather than general statements about best practices.
A third-party provider can handle the alert emails, but it isn’t a direct replacement for Cognito’s built-in email delivery. For Cognito, you’d generally need to configure a custom email sender using a Lambda function, so factor that extra implementation and maintenance into the decision.
That Lambda requirement is the main drawback I found too. It’s workable, but definitely not a drop-in provider switch.
If this is blocking your launch, I’d probably move forward with another provider. If you appeal again, focus on the actual email flows: how users opt in, the types of messages being sent, your expected daily and monthly volume, and a few representative sample emails. Account age may also be part of the decision—some long-standing paying customers report getting approved immediately, while a recently activated SES account can still be treated cautiously.
The AWS account being several years old may help, but activating SES only recently could still be one of the signals they’re evaluating.
An AWS support representative may be able to relay the issue internally, but they generally can’t change the decision directly. Include your existing case information and ask what specific risk signals need clarification.