---
title: Understanding Suppression Lists
description: Understand the difference between Opt-Outs, DNC, and Carrier Blocks. Learn how Smarter Contact's suppression lists protect your compliance and your budget.
---

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December 11, 2025

# Understanding Suppression Lists

## A guide to the six types of suppression lists, how they protect your account, and which ones trigger automatic refunds.

Suppression lists are your compliance bodyguards. They exist to protect your reputation, your wallet, and your legal standing by preventing you from messaging contacts who shouldn't be contacted.

Here is a breakdown of the different protection layers and how they work.

### **🛑 1. The "Strict Blocks" (Legal & Preference)**

These lists are designed to keep you compliant. If a contact is on these lists, **messaging and calling are completely disabled**, and any unsent scheduled messages are automatically refunded.

#### **Opted Out**

- **What it is:** The contact replied with a stop keyword (e.g., "STOP"), was imported as opted-out, or was flagged by our AI for expressing a clear intent to unsubscribe.
- **Scope:** This applies at the **Brand Level**. If they opt out of your Sub-account, they are opted out of your Main account, too.
- **How to Remove:** The contact must reply with a start keyword (e.g., "START", "YES", "UNSTOP").
- **Can I Call?** No.

#### **Do Not Call (DNC)**

- **What it is:** An internal list of people *you* do not want to contact.
- **How they get added:** You manually add them via Messenger or the Contact Management page.
- **How to Remove:** You must manually remove them from the list.
- **Can I Call?** No.

#### **Blocked for Compliance**

- **What it is:** Contacts flagged as high-risk. This protection is built-in and automatic.
- **How they get added:** Automatically detected during list verification.
- **How to Remove:** You cannot. This status is permanent for your safety.
- **Can I Call?** No.

### **⚠️ 2. The "Delivery Failures" (Technical)**

These lists trigger when a message fails to land. Note that **refunds are NOT issued** for these blocks because the carrier attempt was already made.

#### **Carrier Blocked**

- **What it is:** The mobile carrier (e.g., Verizon, T-Mobile) blocked your message as spam.
- **How they get added:** Automatically after a failed delivery attempt due to a spam filter.
- **How to Remove:** It clears automatically if a message is successfully delivered later.
- **Can I Call?** Yes (unless they are also DNC).

#### **Undeliverable**

- **What it is:** The number is invalid or disconnected.
- **How they get added:** Automatically after a failed delivery attempt.
- **Can I Call?** Yes (though it likely won't connect).

### **🚦 3. The "Soft Block" (Custom Rules)**

#### **Response Removal**

- **What it is:** Contacts who replied with a specific keyword *you* defined (e.g., "remove me" or "not interested") but didn't use an official carrier opt-out word.
- **Effect:** They are removed from all active campaigns and workflows to stop the automation.
- **Refunds:** Yes, unsent messages are refunded.
- **Can I Call?** Yes. Messaging is blocked until you remove them from this list, but calling remains active.

#### **Summary Cheat Sheet**

| **List Type** | **Can I Message?** | **Can I Call?** | **Automatic Refund?** |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **Opted Out** | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ Yes |
| **DNC** | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ Yes |
| **Compliance** | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ Yes |
| **Carrier Blocked** | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ No |
| **Undeliverable** | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ No |
| **Response Removal** | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ Yes |

With 💙,  
Smarter Contact Team

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