MailChimp API 3.0: Status 403 "User does not have access to the requested operation" when trying to create a list

Question

For some time now my API client fails to create a list via API according to the reference: https://developer.mailchimp.com/documentation/mailchimp/reference/lists/

Also, the example in the Getting Started documentation fails with the same status: https://developer.mailchimp.com/documentation/mailchimp/guides/get-started-with-mailchimp-api-3/

I get the following response and error:

{"type":"http://developer.mailchimp.com/documentation/mailchimp/guides/error-glossary/","title":"User action not permitted","status":403,"detail":"User does not have access to the requested operation","instance":"0995ebf7-f121-48d7-8cf5-2998a831206d"}

The API call to load (get) a list still works though. I also tried it with a newly generated API key but the result is the same.

Also, I get the same result when using the Playground: https://us20.api.mailchimp.com/playground/

I wasn't able to find an answer on the website. Can anybody give me a hint and help me out here?

Answer 1

I have the same problem, apparently mailchimp introduced a new pricing model on 2019/05/15, that limits the number of lists for the free users: https://mailchimp.com/pricing/

I get this message in my dashboard:

You already have the max amount of audiences allowed in your plan, but you can add more contacts to an existing audience and organize them using tags or segments. If you want to add another audience, you'll need to upgrade your plan.