diff --git a/ghost/core/test/e2e-api/admin/__snapshots__/members.test.js.snap b/ghost/core/test/e2e-api/admin/__snapshots__/members.test.js.snap
index d13876af42..2c78512aab 100644
--- a/ghost/core/test/e2e-api/admin/__snapshots__/members.test.js.snap
+++ b/ghost/core/test/e2e-api/admin/__snapshots__/members.test.js.snap
@@ -356,6 +356,149 @@ Object {
 }
 `;
 
+exports[`Members API Adding newsletters to member with no subscriptions works even with subscribed false 1: [body] 1`] = `
+Object {
+  "members": Array [
+    Object {
+      "attribution": Object {
+        "id": null,
+        "referrer_medium": "Ghost Admin",
+        "referrer_source": "Created manually",
+        "referrer_url": null,
+        "title": null,
+        "type": "url",
+        "url": null,
+      },
+      "avatar_image": null,
+      "comped": false,
+      "created_at": StringMatching /\\\\d\\{4\\}-\\\\d\\{2\\}-\\\\d\\{2\\}T\\\\d\\{2\\}:\\\\d\\{2\\}:\\\\d\\{2\\}\\\\\\.000Z/,
+      "email": "memberAddNewsletterSubscribed@test.com",
+      "email_count": 0,
+      "email_open_rate": null,
+      "email_opened_count": 0,
+      "email_suppression": Object {
+        "info": null,
+        "suppressed": false,
+      },
+      "geolocation": null,
+      "id": StringMatching /\\[a-f0-9\\]\\{24\\}/,
+      "labels": Any<Array>,
+      "last_seen_at": null,
+      "name": "test newsletter",
+      "newsletters": Array [],
+      "note": null,
+      "status": "free",
+      "subscribed": false,
+      "subscriptions": Any<Array>,
+      "tiers": Array [],
+      "updated_at": StringMatching /\\\\d\\{4\\}-\\\\d\\{2\\}-\\\\d\\{2\\}T\\\\d\\{2\\}:\\\\d\\{2\\}:\\\\d\\{2\\}\\\\\\.000Z/,
+      "uuid": StringMatching /\\[a-f0-9\\]\\{8\\}-\\[a-f0-9\\]\\{4\\}-\\[a-f0-9\\]\\{4\\}-\\[a-f0-9\\]\\{4\\}-\\[a-f0-9\\]\\{12\\}/,
+    },
+  ],
+}
+`;
+
+exports[`Members API Adding newsletters to member with no subscriptions works even with subscribed false 2: [headers] 1`] = `
+Object {
+  "access-control-allow-origin": "http://127.0.0.1:2369",
+  "cache-control": "no-cache, private, no-store, must-revalidate, max-stale=0, post-check=0, pre-check=0",
+  "content-length": "694",
+  "content-type": "application/json; charset=utf-8",
+  "content-version": StringMatching /v\\\\d\\+\\\\\\.\\\\d\\+/,
+  "etag": StringMatching /\\(\\?:W\\\\/\\)\\?"\\(\\?:\\[ !#-\\\\x7E\\\\x80-\\\\xFF\\]\\*\\|\\\\r\\\\n\\[\\\\t \\]\\|\\\\\\\\\\.\\)\\*"/,
+  "location": StringMatching /https\\?:\\\\/\\\\/\\.\\*\\?\\\\/members\\\\/\\[a-f0-9\\]\\{24\\}\\\\//,
+  "vary": "Accept-Version, Origin, Accept-Encoding",
+  "x-powered-by": "Express",
+}
+`;
+
+exports[`Members API Adding newsletters to member with no subscriptions works even with subscribed false 3: [body] 1`] = `
+Object {
+  "members": Array [
+    Object {
+      "attribution": Object {
+        "id": null,
+        "referrer_medium": "Ghost Admin",
+        "referrer_source": "Created manually",
+        "referrer_url": null,
+        "title": null,
+        "type": "url",
+        "url": null,
+      },
+      "avatar_image": null,
+      "comped": false,
+      "created_at": StringMatching /\\\\d\\{4\\}-\\\\d\\{2\\}-\\\\d\\{2\\}T\\\\d\\{2\\}:\\\\d\\{2\\}:\\\\d\\{2\\}\\\\\\.000Z/,
+      "email": "memberAddNewsletterSubscribed@test.com",
+      "email_count": 0,
+      "email_open_rate": null,
+      "email_opened_count": 0,
+      "email_suppression": Object {
+        "info": null,
+        "suppressed": false,
+      },
+      "geolocation": null,
+      "id": StringMatching /\\[a-f0-9\\]\\{24\\}/,
+      "labels": Any<Array>,
+      "last_seen_at": null,
+      "name": "test newsletter",
+      "newsletters": Array [
+        Object {
+          "body_font_category": "serif",
+          "created_at": StringMatching /\\\\d\\{4\\}-\\\\d\\{2\\}-\\\\d\\{2\\}T\\\\d\\{2\\}:\\\\d\\{2\\}:\\\\d\\{2\\}\\\\\\.000Z/,
+          "description": null,
+          "feedback_enabled": false,
+          "footer_content": null,
+          "header_image": "http://127.0.0.1:2369/content/images/2022/05/test.jpg",
+          "id": StringMatching /\\[a-f0-9\\]\\{24\\}/,
+          "name": "Daily newsletter",
+          "sender_email": "jamie@example.com",
+          "sender_name": "Jamie",
+          "sender_reply_to": "newsletter",
+          "show_badge": true,
+          "show_comment_cta": true,
+          "show_feature_image": true,
+          "show_header_icon": true,
+          "show_header_name": true,
+          "show_header_title": true,
+          "show_latest_posts": false,
+          "show_post_title_section": true,
+          "show_subscription_details": false,
+          "slug": "daily-newsletter",
+          "sort_order": 1,
+          "status": "active",
+          "subscribe_on_signup": false,
+          "title_alignment": "center",
+          "title_font_category": "serif",
+          "updated_at": StringMatching /\\\\d\\{4\\}-\\\\d\\{2\\}-\\\\d\\{2\\}T\\\\d\\{2\\}:\\\\d\\{2\\}:\\\\d\\{2\\}\\\\\\.000Z/,
+          "uuid": StringMatching /\\[a-f0-9\\]\\{8\\}-\\[a-f0-9\\]\\{4\\}-\\[a-f0-9\\]\\{4\\}-\\[a-f0-9\\]\\{4\\}-\\[a-f0-9\\]\\{12\\}/,
+          "visibility": "members",
+        },
+      ],
+      "note": null,
+      "status": "free",
+      "subscribed": true,
+      "subscriptions": Any<Array>,
+      "tiers": Array [],
+      "updated_at": StringMatching /\\\\d\\{4\\}-\\\\d\\{2\\}-\\\\d\\{2\\}T\\\\d\\{2\\}:\\\\d\\{2\\}:\\\\d\\{2\\}\\\\\\.000Z/,
+      "uuid": StringMatching /\\[a-f0-9\\]\\{8\\}-\\[a-f0-9\\]\\{4\\}-\\[a-f0-9\\]\\{4\\}-\\[a-f0-9\\]\\{4\\}-\\[a-f0-9\\]\\{12\\}/,
+    },
+  ],
+}
+`;
+
+exports[`Members API Adding newsletters to member with no subscriptions works even with subscribed false 4: [headers] 1`] = `
+Object {
+  "access-control-allow-origin": "http://127.0.0.1:2369",
+  "cache-control": "no-cache, private, no-store, must-revalidate, max-stale=0, post-check=0, pre-check=0",
+  "content-length": "1531",
+  "content-type": "application/json; charset=utf-8",
+  "content-version": StringMatching /v\\\\d\\+\\\\\\.\\\\d\\+/,
+  "etag": StringMatching /\\(\\?:W\\\\/\\)\\?"\\(\\?:\\[ !#-\\\\x7E\\\\x80-\\\\xFF\\]\\*\\|\\\\r\\\\n\\[\\\\t \\]\\|\\\\\\\\\\.\\)\\*"/,
+  "vary": "Accept-Version, Origin, Accept-Encoding",
+  "x-powered-by": "Express",
+}
+`;
+
 exports[`Members API Bulk operations Can bulk delete a label from members 1: [body] 1`] = `
 Object {
   "bulk": Object {
diff --git a/ghost/core/test/e2e-api/admin/members.test.js b/ghost/core/test/e2e-api/admin/members.test.js
index 538c771a13..30480c8ee2 100644
--- a/ghost/core/test/e2e-api/admin/members.test.js
+++ b/ghost/core/test/e2e-api/admin/members.test.js
@@ -2442,6 +2442,71 @@ describe('Members API', function () {
         assert.ok(changedMember.newsletters.find(n => n.id === testUtils.DataGenerator.Content.newsletters[1].id), 'The member is still subscribed for the newsletter it subscribed to');
     });
 
+    it('Adding newsletters to member with no subscriptions works even with subscribed false', async function () {
+        // Add member with no subscriptions
+        const member = {
+            name: 'test newsletter',
+            email: 'memberAddNewsletterSubscribed@test.com',
+            newsletters: []
+        };
+
+        const {body} = await agent
+            .post(`/members/`)
+            .body({members: [member]})
+            .expectStatus(201)
+            .matchBodySnapshot({
+                members: [{
+                    id: anyObjectId,
+                    uuid: anyUuid,
+                    created_at: anyISODateTime,
+                    updated_at: anyISODateTime,
+                    subscriptions: anyArray,
+                    labels: anyArray,
+                    newsletters: Array(0).fill(newsletterSnapshot)
+                }]
+            })
+            .matchHeaderSnapshot({
+                'content-version': anyContentVersion,
+                etag: anyEtag,
+                location: anyLocationFor('members')
+            });
+
+        const memberId = body.members[0].id;
+
+        const editedMember = {
+            subscribed: false,
+            newsletters: [
+                {
+                    id: testUtils.DataGenerator.Content.newsletters[0].id
+                }
+            ]
+        };
+
+        // Edit member
+        const {body: body2} = await agent
+            .put(`/members/${memberId}`)
+            .body({members: [editedMember]})
+            .expectStatus(200)
+            .matchBodySnapshot({
+                members: [{
+                    id: anyObjectId,
+                    uuid: anyUuid,
+                    created_at: anyISODateTime,
+                    updated_at: anyISODateTime,
+                    subscriptions: anyArray,
+                    labels: anyArray,
+                    newsletters: Array(1).fill(newsletterSnapshot)
+                }]
+            })
+            .matchHeaderSnapshot({
+                'content-version': anyContentVersion,
+                etag: anyEtag
+            });
+        const changedMember = body2.members[0];
+        assert.equal(changedMember.newsletters.length, 1);
+        assert.ok(changedMember.newsletters.find(n => n.id === testUtils.DataGenerator.Content.newsletters[0].id), 'The member should be subscribed to the newsletter');
+    });
+
     it('Updating member data without newsletters does not change newsletters', async function () {
         // check that this newsletter is archived, or this test would not make sense
         const archivedNewsletterId = testUtils.DataGenerator.Content.newsletters[2].id;
diff --git a/ghost/members-api/lib/repositories/member.js b/ghost/members-api/lib/repositories/member.js
index 2351f2e150..de844f7027 100644
--- a/ghost/members-api/lib/repositories/member.js
+++ b/ghost/members-api/lib/repositories/member.js
@@ -539,12 +539,14 @@ module.exports = class MemberRepository {
         if (needsNewsletters) {
             const existingNewsletters = initialMember.related('newsletters').models;
 
-            // This maps the old subscribed property to the new newsletters field
-            if (memberData.subscribed === false) {
-                memberData.newsletters = [];
-            } else if (memberData.subscribed === true && !existingNewsletters.find(n => n.get('status') === 'active')) {
-                const browseOptions = _.pick(options, 'transacting');
-                memberData.newsletters = await this.getSubscribeOnSignupNewsletters(browseOptions);
+            // This maps the old subscribed property to the new newsletters field and is only used to keep backward compatibility
+            if (!memberData.newsletters) {
+                if (memberData.subscribed === false) {
+                    memberData.newsletters = [];
+                } else if (memberData.subscribed === true && !existingNewsletters.find(n => n.get('status') === 'active')) {
+                    const browseOptions = _.pick(options, 'transacting');
+                    memberData.newsletters = await this.getSubscribeOnSignupNewsletters(browseOptions);
+                }
             }
 
             // only ever populated with active newsletters - never archived ones