EmailOctopus logo
Email Marketing integration

EmailOctopus + CaptiFi

Add every opted-in WiFi guest to your EmailOctopus list automatically as a subscribed contact, so your list-join automations fire the moment they sign in. Native integration. 30-day free trial.

Overview

What does the EmailOctopus integration do?

The EmailOctopus integration is a native CaptiFi connector, shipped in August 2026. You create an API key in your EmailOctopus account, copy the ID of the list you want WiFi guests to join, and paste both into the CaptiFi Integrations page, a job of about eight minutes end to end. From that moment every WiFi guest who opts in to marketing on your splash page is added to that EmailOctopus list as a subscribed contact, carrying their email address and their first and last name when your splash form collects them.

EmailOctopus organises contacts around lists, so unlike some CaptiFi connectors the List ID is required rather than optional: CaptiFi always needs to know exactly which list guests should join. That constraint is also what makes automation immediate, because joining a list is the trigger EmailOctopus automations listen for, so a welcome email can land while the guest is still sitting in your venue. The Test connection button checks the API key and the List ID together, so a mistyped List ID is caught before a single guest syncs, and the API key can be rotated at any time by saving a new one. The sync runs server-side through a queued job, so contacts appear in EmailOctopus within minutes of sign-in with no browser plumbing involved.

Repeat visits are handled cleanly. Contacts are matched by email address, so a regular who signs in every week updates the same EmailOctopus contact rather than piling up duplicates, and anyone who unsubscribes in EmailOctopus stays unsubscribed: CaptiFi never re-adds them. Only guests who opt in to marketing are ever sent, so the list EmailOctopus markets to is permission-based from the start. Each venue can point at its own list, or several venues can share one. The integration works with every EmailOctopus plan, including the free tier, and on the CaptiFi side it is available on the Growth plan and above, with the 30-day free trial running at Growth level.

What you get

Why connect EmailOctopus to CaptiFi

Subscribed contacts within minutes

Every opted-in WiFi guest is added to your EmailOctopus list as a subscribed contact within minutes of signing in, carrying email and name where captured, with no CSV exports, no Zapier account and no task limits.

Automations fire immediately

Joining a list is the trigger EmailOctopus automations listen for, and CaptiFi adds guests straight to the list you choose, so a welcome email can reach a guest before they have left the building.

Validated before a single guest syncs

The List ID is required and the Test connection button checks the API key and the list together, so a mistyped ID is caught at setup rather than discovered weeks later as an empty list.

Clean, permission-based data

Contacts are matched by email so repeat visitors update the same record, only opted-in guests are ever sent, and unsubscribes in EmailOctopus are respected: CaptiFi never re-adds a contact who has opted out.

What data flows to EmailOctopus

Guest email address captured at WiFi sign-in
Guest first and last name, when your splash form collects them
Subscription status: contacts are added as subscribed
Membership of the EmailOctopus list whose ID you set
How it works

Up and running in minutes

1

Create an API key in EmailOctopus

In EmailOctopus, open Account, then Integrations & API, and click Add key. Give it a name you will recognise later, such as CaptiFi WiFi. EmailOctopus shows the key once only, so copy it straight away.

2

Copy your List ID

Open the list you want WiFi guests added to, or create one such as WiFi Guests. The List ID is the long code in the browser address bar while the list is open. Copy it.

3

Paste both into CaptiFi and test

On the Integrations page in your CaptiFi dashboard, open the EmailOctopus card for the venue and paste the API key and the List ID. Both fields are required. Save, then click Test connection: the test checks the key and the list together, so a mistyped List ID is caught immediately.

4

Switch the venue on

The venue reads Connected but paused until you flip the toggle to Enabled. Enabling is not retrospective: only guests who connect after you enable the integration are synced.

5

Watch subscribed contacts appear

Opted-in WiFi guests are added to your list as subscribed contacts within minutes of signing in, any automation that starts when someone joins the list fires straight away, and repeat visits update the same contact by email rather than creating duplicates.

In the real world

How venues use EmailOctopus with CaptiFi

Cafe

A cafe points the integration at its WiFi Guests list, so a first-time visitor gets the EmailOctopus welcome automation with a loyalty nudge before they have finished their flat white, and every repeat sign-in keeps their contact current for the monthly newsletter.

Restaurant

A restaurant and bar group runs one EmailOctopus account across several sites and points each CaptiFi venue at its own list, so quiz-night emails go to the pub crowd and tasting-menu launches go to the diners who actually visited that kitchen.

Holiday lets

A holiday-let operator on the EmailOctopus free plan shares one list across all its properties, building a permission-based guest database from WiFi sign-ins alone and sending a rebooking offer each season without ever exporting a CSV.

FAQs

Frequently asked questions

Is the EmailOctopus integration native or does it use Zapier?
It is native as of August 2026. You paste an EmailOctopus API key and List ID into the CaptiFi Integrations page and the sync runs directly between the two platforms, server-side, with no Zapier account, no Zaps and no task limits. The standard guest-to-list sync needs no middleware at all, and for anything custom the REST API and webhooks are included from the Growth plan up.
What does CaptiFi send to EmailOctopus?
Each opted-in guest is added to your chosen EmailOctopus list as a subscribed contact with their email address and their first and last name when your splash form collects them. Contacts are matched by email address, so a returning guest updates their existing contact instead of creating a duplicate. Guests who decline the marketing opt-in are never sent.
Why is the List ID required?
Because EmailOctopus organises contacts around lists, CaptiFi always needs to know which list guests should join, so the List ID is required rather than optional, unlike the Klaviyo connector where the list is an optional extra. The List ID is the long code in the browser address bar when the list is open in EmailOctopus. Each CaptiFi venue can point at its own list, or several venues can share one, and the Test connection button validates the key and the list together, so a wrong ID is caught before any guest syncs.
Do I need a paid EmailOctopus plan?
No. The integration works with every EmailOctopus plan, including the free plan. You create an API key under Account, then Integrations & API, which every account can do, and CaptiFi syncs contacts through EmailOctopus's standard API. Your EmailOctopus plan only matters for what you do with the contacts afterwards, such as how many subscribers you can hold and email under EmailOctopus's own pricing.
How is guest consent handled?
Only guests who opt in to marketing on the splash page are ever sent to EmailOctopus, and they arrive as subscribed contacts, so the list is permission-based from the first sign-up. Unsubscribes in EmailOctopus are respected: CaptiFi never re-adds a contact who has opted out. Guests who connect to the WiFi but decline marketing never leave CaptiFi, which keeps your campaigns aligned with GDPR and PECR.
Which CaptiFi plans include the EmailOctopus integration?
The EmailOctopus integration is available on the Growth plan and above, with no per-integration add-on fees. The 30-day free trial runs at Growth level, so you can connect your EmailOctopus account and watch real guest contacts sync during the trial before you pay anything.

Start using EmailOctopus with CaptiFi today

30-day free trial. Cancel anytime.