> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://help.alternativepayments.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://help.alternativepayments.io/automations/email-notifications-and-reminders/one-off-email.md).

# One-Off Email

**Send a custom, one-time email to specific customers or groups — outside your automated reminder and summary flows.**

***

## What is a one-off email template?

A **one-off email template** is a reusable message you write once and then send to a specific audience on demand or at a scheduled date and time. It is separate from your automated invoice reminder and invoice summary rules, which run on a recurring schedule for your full customer base.

Use one-off emails when you need to communicate something that falls outside your normal billing cadence — for example, a service announcement, a payment plan update, or a follow-up for a specific group of customers.

|                | One-off email template                                 | Automated reminder / summary template                                    |
| -------------- | ------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Trigger**    | You choose when to send it                             | Fires automatically based on invoice due date or creation date           |
| **Audience**   | You pick specific customers or tags each time you send | Applies to all customers (with optional exclusions)                      |
| **Recurrence** | Single send (or scheduled once)                        | Repeats on the cadence you configure                                     |
| **Found in**   | **Email notifications → One-off emails** tab           | **Email notifications → Invoice reminders** or **Invoice summaries** tab |

***

## Required permission

The **One-off emails** tab is only visible to users with the `InvoiceRemind` permission. If you do not see the tab, contact your account administrator to confirm your user role has this permission enabled.

***

## How to create a one-off email template

1. In the Partner Dashboard, go to **Automations →** [**Email notifications**](https://app.alternativepayments.io/dashboard/email-notifications).
2. Click the **One-off emails** tab. If the tab is not visible, see the permission note above.
3. Click **New email** (the button with the mail icon in the top-right of the One-off emails section).
4. On the template picker screen, you can either:
   * Select a **ready-made model template** and click **Use** to pre-populate the form, or
   * Click **Create a one-off template** on the blank card to start from scratch.
5. Fill in the template fields:
   * **Template name** — an internal label for this template (e.g., `"Important update about your account"`).
   * **Subject** — the email subject line your customers will see (up to 100 characters). You can insert dynamic variables such as customer name using the mention picker.
   * **Email content** — the body of the email (up to 3,000 characters), written in the rich-text editor.
6. A live **preview** panel on the right updates as you type so you can see how the email will look to recipients.
7. When you are satisfied, click one of the two action buttons at the bottom of the page:
   * **Save template** — saves the template and returns you to the **One-off emails** tab without sending.
   * **Choose audience** — saves the template and immediately moves you to the audience step so you can send or schedule the email right away.

***

## Where to find a template after saving

After you click **Save template**, you are returned to **Email notifications → One-off emails** tab. Your saved template is not stored as a standalone library entry on this page — instead, it is available as a selectable template the next time you click **New email** and reach the template picker. Previously saved one-off templates appear as cards alongside the model templates and the blank "Create a one-off template" card.

> **Tip:** If you saved a template and do not see it on the picker screen, try logging out and logging back in. A propagation delay of up to 10–15 minutes can affect newly saved templates in some cases (see [Troubleshooting](#troubleshooting) below).

***

## How to send or schedule a one-off email

Whether you clicked **Choose audience** during template creation or you are starting from the **New email** button and selecting an existing template, the sending flow has three steps:

### Step 1 — Pick a template

From **Email notifications → One-off emails**, click **New email**. Select the template you want to use and click **Use**.

### Step 2 — Select audience and send time

On the **Select audience** screen, choose who receives the email:

* **By tag** — select one or more customer tags to target a group.
* **By customer** — select individual customers from the list.

You can also add **CC** and **BCC** recipients for additional visibility.

Under **Select send time**, choose when the email goes out:

* **Send immediately** — the email is dispatched as soon as you confirm on the review screen.
* **Schedule for later** — pick a date, hour, and timezone. The email is queued and appears in the **Scheduled emails** table on the **One-off emails** tab until it is sent.

Click **Review** when your audience and send time are set.

### Step 3 — Review and confirm

The review screen shows a summary of the template, audience, and send time. Confirm to send or schedule the email.

* If you chose **Send immediately**, the email is sent and you are returned to the **One-off emails** tab.
* If you chose **Schedule for later**, the email appears in the **Scheduled emails** table with columns for **Created on**, **Template name**, **Send time**, and **Applies to**.

***

## Managing scheduled emails

Scheduled one-off emails that have not yet been sent appear in the **Scheduled emails** table on the **One-off emails** tab. Use the actions menu (⋮) on any row to:

| Action       | What it does                                                                                                               |
| ------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Send now** | Sends the email immediately and removes it from the schedule. You will be asked to confirm before the email is dispatched. |
| **Preview**  | Opens a preview of the email template without sending.                                                                     |
| **Edit**     | Opens the template and audience editor so you can change the content, audience, or send time before it goes out.           |
| **Delete**   | Permanently deletes the scheduled email. This action cannot be undone.                                                     |

***

## Editing and deleting one-off templates

### Editing a template before sending

If you have not yet sent or scheduled an email, click **New email**, find your template card on the picker screen, and click **Use** to open it in the editor. Make your changes and click **Save template** or **Choose audience**.

### Editing a scheduled email

To change the content, audience, or send time of an email that is already scheduled, find it in the **Scheduled emails** table and select **Edit** from the actions menu (⋮). This opens the full template and audience editor. Save your changes to update the scheduled email.

### Deleting a scheduled email

To remove a scheduled email before it sends, select **Delete** from the actions menu (⋮) in the **Scheduled emails** table. Confirm the deletion in the dialog. This permanently removes the scheduled email and it cannot be recovered.

> **Note:** Deleting a scheduled email does not delete the underlying template. The template remains available on the picker screen for future use.

***

## Troubleshooting

### Template not appearing after creation

After saving a new one-off template, it may take up to **10–15 minutes** for the template to appear on the picker screen. This is a known propagation delay.

{% hint style="warning" %}
**A hard refresh does not resolve this delay.** Pressing Ctrl+F5 (Windows) or Cmd+Shift+R (Mac) will not make the template appear sooner.
{% endhint %}

**Workaround:**

1. Log out of the Alternative Payments Dashboard.
2. Wait a few minutes.
3. Log back in — your template should now appear on the picker screen.

If the template still does not appear after logging back in, contact <customersuccess@alternativepayments.io>.

### One-off emails tab not visible

The **One-off emails** tab only appears for users with the `InvoiceRemind` permission. If you cannot see the tab, ask your account administrator to review your user permissions.

### Scheduled email not in the table

If you scheduled an email but it does not appear in the **Scheduled emails** table, try refreshing the page. If it still does not appear, log out and log back in. If the problem persists, contact <customersuccess@alternativepayments.io>.

***

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