A bulk email service in the UK has to clear two bars: PECR, and a price that holds up when you are billed in dollars. PECR lets you email limited companies without consent, but individuals and sole traders need consent or a valid soft opt-in, and since 2025 the maximum fine is £17.5 million or 4% of turnover. Your data does not have to stay in the UK. For providers, Amazon SES (London region), Mailgun (EU region), Mailjet and Brevo all work, and a dedicated server on a UK VPS gives you your own IPs at a one-time cost.
What PECR allows, in one picture
PECR is the UK law for marketing email. It sits alongside UK GDPR, which covers the personal data itself.
Who you are emailing decides the rule
| Recipient | Consent needed under PECR? | Still required |
|---|---|---|
| Limited company or LLP | no | say who you are, give an opt-out |
| Individual at home | yes, or soft opt-in | consent record, opt-out in every email |
| Sole trader | yes, or soft opt-in | same as individuals |
| Some partnerships | yes, or soft opt-in | same as individuals |
The ICO's marketing guidance adds one warning that catches B2B senders: you cannot tell a sole trader from a limited company by the email address. A list of "business" contacts usually mixes both, so the safest default is to treat anyone you cannot verify as an individual.
The soft opt-in, and where people get it wrong
The soft opt-in is the main way UK businesses email existing customers without fresh consent. It only works if all of these are true:
- You got the details during a sale or sales talk.
- You market your own similar products or services.
- You gave a clear opt-out when you collected the details.
- You give an opt-out in every message after.
The third point is where it fails most. A January 2026 ICO case found a sender could not rely on the soft opt-in because it had not offered an opt-out at the point of collection. Bought lists never qualify.
The fines went up in 2025
The ceiling rose 35 times over
The Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 lifted PECR fines to the UK GDPR level. The old cap was £500,000. The new one is £17.5 million or 4% of global annual turnover, whichever is higher. Enforcement is active: the ICO issued six-figure fines to two firms in January 2026 for millions of unlawful marketing messages.
None of this changes what good senders already do. It does change the cost of sending to a list you cannot prove consent for.
Does your data have to stay in the UK?
No. UK GDPR controls how data leaves the UK, not whether it can.
Where your subscriber data can live
| Where the sending servers are | Allowed? | What you need |
|---|---|---|
| UK | yes | a normal processor contract |
| EU or EEA | yes | covered by UK adequacy rules |
| US | yes, with care | a provider certified under the UK-US data bridge, or transfer safeguards |
| Elsewhere | depends | an international data transfer agreement or similar |
Many UK senders pick a London or EU data centre anyway. It makes the privacy notice simpler and answers the question before a customer asks it. Our GDPR page covers the data side in more detail.
Bulk email services that suit UK senders
| Provider | Where it runs | Price to send | Fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon SES | London region available | $0.10 per 1,000, billed in USD | developers, low cost |
| Mailgun | EU region available | Foundation $35 for 50,000 a month | API-first teams |
| Mailjet | EU-based | free up to 6,000 a month | small senders |
| Brevo | EU-based | priced by volume, campaign tool included | marketers who want one tool |
| SendGrid | US | Essentials from $19.95 | US-linked teams |
| Own dedicated server | your choice of UK or EU VPS | hosting only after one-time setup | steady volume, own IPs |
Prices are list prices in October 2026. Most of these bill in dollars or euros, so a pound budget should allow some room for the exchange rate. For a provider-by-provider price view, see cost per 1,000 emails in 2026.
A UK-ready sending setup
- Pick the data location first. UK or EU VPS for an own server, or the London or EU region of your provider.
- Sort the list into company and individual contacts. Anyone unverified goes in the individual group.
- Record consent for individuals: date, source and the wording they agreed to.
- Put an unsubscribe in every email, plus one-click List-Unsubscribe headers for Gmail and Yahoo.
- Authenticate the domain with SPF, DKIM and DMARC. Our SPF, DKIM and DMARC guide shows what each one does.
- Keep complaints under 0.1%. Gmail's hard ceiling is 0.3%, and UK inboxes such as BT and Sky filter on reputation too.
How BulkEmailSetup helps
We set up a dedicated SMTP server on hosting you choose, so a UK sender can put it in a London or EU data centre and know exactly where the data sits. You get your own IPs, SPF, DKIM, DMARC and PTR, bounce handling, a campaign platform and a warm-up plan.
| Plan | One-time fee | Emails per day | IPs | Hosting you pay your host |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $549 | 25,000 | 3 | about $11 a month |
| Advance | $1,199 | 200,000 | 15 | about $49 a month |
| Custom | $2,997 | 1,000,000 | 60 | about $170 a month |
UK visitors see these prices in pounds on our pricing page. There is no monthly fee to us and no contact limit. Compliance with PECR stays your responsibility, but you are not sharing IP reputation with anyone else's list. See the Basic plan to start.
Frequently asked questions
What does PECR mean for bulk email in the UK?
PECR sets the rules for marketing email. Emailing limited companies and LLPs does not need consent, but you must say who you are and give an opt-out. Emailing individuals and sole traders needs consent, unless the soft opt-in applies to your own existing customers. Every marketing email must identify the sender and include a working way to unsubscribe.
How much does bulk email cost in GBP?
Most providers bill UK customers in US dollars or euros, so the pound price moves with the exchange rate. Amazon SES is $0.10 per 1,000 emails. BulkEmailSetup's plans are a one-time fee shown in pounds on the pricing page for UK visitors: Basic is $549 for 25,000 emails a day, and hosting runs about $11 a month paid to your host.
Do UK senders need UK-hosted servers?
No. UK GDPR does not require data to stay in the UK. Transfers to the EU and EEA are covered by UK adequacy rules, and certified US providers can be used under the UK-US data bridge. Other countries need transfer safeguards. Many UK senders still pick a London or EU data centre to keep things simple.
Which bulk email providers suit UK businesses?
Amazon SES has a London region, Mailgun offers an EU region, and Mailjet and Brevo are EU-based. SendGrid works too but runs from the US. For steady volume, a dedicated SMTP server on a UK or EU VPS gives you your own IPs and lets you choose exactly where the data sits.
What are the fines for breaking PECR?
Since the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, the maximum PECR fine has risen from £500,000 to the UK GDPR level of £17.5 million or 4% of global annual turnover, whichever is higher. The ICO keeps fining companies for unlawful marketing messages, with six-figure penalties issued in early 2026.
Can I email sole traders without consent?
No. PECR treats sole traders and some partnerships like individuals, so you need consent or a valid soft opt-in. The ICO also warns you cannot tell a sole trader from a limited company by the email address alone. If you are unsure, treat the contact as an individual.
What is the soft opt-in?
It lets you email your own customers without fresh consent if you got their details during a sale or sales talk, you only market similar products or services, and you gave them a clear chance to opt out when you collected the details and in every message after. It does not cover bought lists or other companies' products.
