diff --git a/test/api/unit/libs/email.test.js b/test/api/unit/libs/email.test.js
index 8673e03b62..1b34f8d03f 100644
--- a/test/api/unit/libs/email.test.js
+++ b/test/api/unit/libs/email.test.js
@@ -171,23 +171,23 @@ describe('emails', () => {
       expect(got.post).not.to.be.called;
     });
 
-    it('throws error when mail target is only a string', () => {
+    it('throws error when mail target is only a string', async () => {
       const emailType = 'an email type';
       const mailingInfo = 'my email';
 
-      expect(sendTxn(mailingInfo, emailType)).to.throw;
+      await expect(sendTxn(mailingInfo, emailType)).to.be.rejectedWith('Argument Error mailingInfoArray: does not contain email or _id');
     });
 
-    it('throws error when mail target has no _id or email', () => {
+    it('throws error when mail target has no _id or email', async () => {
       const emailType = 'an email type';
       const mailingInfo = {
 
       };
 
-      expect(sendTxn(mailingInfo, emailType)).to.throw;
+      await expect(sendTxn(mailingInfo, emailType)).to.be.rejectedWith('Argument Error mailingInfoArray: does not contain email or _id');
     });
 
-    it('throws error when variables not an array', () => {
+    it('throws error when variables not an array', async () => {
       const emailType = 'an email type';
       const mailingInfo = {
         name: 'my name',
@@ -195,9 +195,10 @@ describe('emails', () => {
       };
       const variables = {};
 
-      expect(sendTxn(mailingInfo, emailType, variables)).to.throw;
+      await expect(sendTxn(mailingInfo, emailType, variables)).to.be.rejectedWith('Argument Error variables: is not an array');
     });
-    it('throws error when variables array not contain name/content', () => {
+
+    it('throws error when variables array not contain name/content', async () => {
       const emailType = 'an email type';
       const mailingInfo = {
         name: 'my name',
@@ -209,8 +210,9 @@ describe('emails', () => {
         },
       ];
 
-      expect(sendTxn(mailingInfo, emailType, variables)).to.throw;
+      await expect(sendTxn(mailingInfo, emailType, variables)).to.be.rejectedWith('Argument Error variables: does not contain name or content');
     });
+
     it('throws no error when variables array contain name but no content', () => {
       const emailType = 'an email type';
       const mailingInfo = {
diff --git a/website/server/controllers/api-v3/quests.js b/website/server/controllers/api-v3/quests.js
index 1c2e94b457..f9152bc5bc 100644
--- a/website/server/controllers/api-v3/quests.js
+++ b/website/server/controllers/api-v3/quests.js
@@ -120,9 +120,12 @@ api.inviteToQuest = {
 
     // send out invites
     const inviterVars = getUserInfo(user, ['name', 'email']);
-    const membersToEmail = members.filter(async member => {
+    const membersToEmail = [];
+
+    for (const member of members) {
       // send push notifications while filtering members before sending emails
       if (member.preferences.pushNotifications.invitedQuest !== false) {
+        // eslint-disable-next-line no-await-in-loop
         await sendPushNotification(
           member,
           {
@@ -141,8 +144,11 @@ api.inviteToQuest = {
         quest,
       });
 
-      return member.preferences.emailNotifications.invitedQuest !== false;
-    });
+      if (member.preferences.emailNotifications.invitedQuest !== false) {
+        membersToEmail.push(member);
+      }
+    }
+
     sendTxnEmail(membersToEmail, `invite-${quest.boss ? 'boss' : 'collection'}-quest`, [
       { name: 'QUEST_NAME', content: quest.text() },
       { name: 'INVITER', content: inviterVars.name },
diff --git a/website/server/libs/email.js b/website/server/libs/email.js
index f9e66e9e0b..bca8b4b294 100644
--- a/website/server/libs/email.js
+++ b/website/server/libs/email.js
@@ -65,7 +65,13 @@ export function getGroupUrl (group) {
   return groupUrl;
 }
 
-// Send a transactional email using Mandrill through the external email server
+/**
+ * Send a transactional email using Mandrill through the external email server
+ *
+ * Individual "canSend" per type needs to be done before,
+ * internally it checks by `getUserInfo` if the
+ * `unsubscribeFromAll` is set to true, if so it won't send the email.
+ */
 export async function sendTxn (mailingInfoArray, emailType, variables, personalVariables) {
   if (!Array.isArray(mailingInfoArray)) {
     mailingInfoArray = [mailingInfoArray]; // eslint-disable-line no-param-reassign
@@ -73,7 +79,7 @@ export async function sendTxn (mailingInfoArray, emailType, variables, personalV
 
   for (const entry of mailingInfoArray) {
     if (typeof entry === 'string'
-      && (typeof entry._id === 'undefined' && typeof entry.email === 'undefined')
+      || (typeof entry._id === 'undefined' && typeof entry.email === 'undefined')
     ) {
       throw new Error('Argument Error mailingInfoArray: does not contain email or _id');
     }
@@ -100,7 +106,7 @@ export async function sendTxn (mailingInfoArray, emailType, variables, personalV
     // Always send reset-password emails
     // Don't check canSend for non registered users as already checked before
     .filter(mailingInfo => mailingInfo.email
-        && (!mailingInfo._id || mailingInfo.canSend || emailType === 'reset-password'));
+      && (!mailingInfo._id || mailingInfo.canSend || emailType === 'reset-password'));
 
   // Personal variables are personal to each email recipient, if they are missing
   // we manually create a structure for them with RECIPIENT_NAME and RECIPIENT_UNSUB_URL
diff --git a/website/server/models/group.js b/website/server/models/group.js
index 0061fbb25c..5bbd296714 100644
--- a/website/server/models/group.js
+++ b/website/server/models/group.js
@@ -770,22 +770,27 @@ schema.methods.startQuest = async function startQuest (user) {
   const membersToEmail = [];
 
   // send notifications and webhooks in the background without blocking
-  await members.forEach(async member => {
-    if (member._id !== user._id) {
-      // send push notifications and filter users that disabled emails
-      if (member.preferences.emailNotifications.questStarted !== false) {
-        membersToEmail.push(member);
-      }
+  for (const member of members) {
+    if (member._id === user._id) {
+      // early "exit", saving one indention level
+      // eslint-disable-next-line no-continue
+      continue;
+    }
 
-      // send push notifications and filter users that disabled emails
-      if (member.preferences.pushNotifications.questStarted !== false) {
-        const memberLang = member.preferences.language;
-        await sendPushNotification(member, {
-          title: quest.text(memberLang),
-          message: shared.i18n.t('questStarted', memberLang),
-          identifier: 'questStarted',
-        });
-      }
+    // add email to send if that user did not disabled this email
+    if (member.preferences.emailNotifications.questStarted !== false) {
+      membersToEmail.push(member);
+    }
+
+    // send push notifications if that user did not disabled this notifications
+    if (member.preferences.pushNotifications.questStarted !== false) {
+      const memberLang = member.preferences.language;
+      // eslint-disable-next-line no-await-in-loop
+      await sendPushNotification(member, {
+        title: quest.text(memberLang),
+        message: shared.i18n.t('questStarted', memberLang),
+        identifier: 'questStarted',
+      });
     }
 
     // Send webhooks
@@ -794,7 +799,7 @@ schema.methods.startQuest = async function startQuest (user) {
       group: this,
       quest,
     });
-  });
+  }
 
   // Send emails in bulk
   sendTxnEmail(membersToEmail, 'quest-started', [