diff --git a/app/serializers/current_user_serializer.rb b/app/serializers/current_user_serializer.rb
index cd44c75f663..2ddfe2533ee 100644
--- a/app/serializers/current_user_serializer.rb
+++ b/app/serializers/current_user_serializer.rb
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@ class CurrentUserSerializer < BasicUserSerializer
   end
 
   def can_send_private_email_messages
-    scope.cand_send_private_messages_to_email?
+    scope.can_send_private_messages_to_email?
   end
 
   def can_edit
diff --git a/config/locales/server.en.yml b/config/locales/server.en.yml
index 3e1e7ef4677..8c4eca02b15 100644
--- a/config/locales/server.en.yml
+++ b/config/locales/server.en.yml
@@ -1186,8 +1186,6 @@ en:
 
     enable_personal_messages: "Allow trust level 1 (configurable via min trust level to send messages) users to create messages and reply to messages. Note that staff can always send messages no matter what."
     enable_system_message_replies: "Allows users to reply to system messages, even if personal messages are disabled"
-    enable_personal_email_messages: "Allow trust level 4 (configurable via min trust level to send messages) users to send personal email messages. Note that staff can always send messages no matter what."
-
     enable_long_polling: "Message bus used for notification can use long polling"
     long_polling_base_url: "Base URL used for long polling (when a CDN is serving dynamic content, be sure to set this to origin pull) eg: http://origin.site.com"
     long_polling_interval: "Amount of time the server should wait before responding to clients when there is no data to send (logged on users only)"
@@ -1456,9 +1454,6 @@ en:
     min_trust_to_allow_self_wiki: "The minimum trust level required to make user's own post wiki."
 
     min_trust_to_send_messages: "The minimum trust level required to create new personal messages."
-
-    min_trust_to_send_email_messages: "The minimum trust level required to send new personal messages via email (to staged users)."
-
     min_trust_to_flag_posts: "The minimum trust level required to flag posts"
     min_trust_to_post_links: "The minimum trust level required to include links in posts"
     min_trust_to_post_images: "The minimum trust level required to include images in a post"
diff --git a/config/site_settings.yml b/config/site_settings.yml
index 2abaf22150c..6f4a14d3181 100644
--- a/config/site_settings.yml
+++ b/config/site_settings.yml
@@ -558,6 +558,7 @@ posting:
   enable_system_message_replies:
     default: true
   enable_personal_email_messages:
+    hidden: true
     default: false
     client: true
     validator: "EnablePrivateEmailMessagesValidator"
@@ -1018,6 +1019,7 @@ trust:
     default: 1
     enum: 'TrustLevelSetting'
   min_trust_to_send_email_messages:
+    hidden: true
     default: 4
     enum: 'TrustLevelSetting'
   min_trust_to_flag_posts:
diff --git a/lib/guardian.rb b/lib/guardian.rb
index de87f2e9eae..8c7c6afb8d8 100644
--- a/lib/guardian.rb
+++ b/lib/guardian.rb
@@ -335,15 +335,20 @@ class Guardian
     (!is_silenced? || target.staff?)
   end
 
-  def cand_send_private_messages_to_email?
+  def can_send_private_messages_to_email?
     # Staged users must be enabled to create a temporary user.
     SiteSetting.enable_staged_users &&
     # User is authenticated
     authenticated? &&
     # User is trusted enough
-    @user.has_trust_level?(SiteSetting.min_trust_to_send_email_messages) &&
-    # PMs to email addresses are enabled
-    (is_staff? || SiteSetting.enable_personal_email_messages)
+    (is_staff? ||
+      (
+        # TODO: 2019 evaluate if we need this flexibility
+        # perhaps we enable this unconditionally to TL4?
+        @user.has_trust_level?(SiteSetting.min_trust_to_send_email_messages) &&
+        SiteSetting.enable_personal_email_messages
+      )
+    )
   end
 
   def can_see_emails?
diff --git a/lib/topic_creator.rb b/lib/topic_creator.rb
index 6394156fcb9..a62d42bd6fc 100644
--- a/lib/topic_creator.rb
+++ b/lib/topic_creator.rb
@@ -183,7 +183,7 @@ class TopicCreator
       rollback_with!(topic, :no_user_selected)
     end
 
-    if @opts[:target_emails].present? && !@guardian.cand_send_private_messages_to_email? then
+    if @opts[:target_emails].present? && !@guardian.can_send_private_messages_to_email? then
       rollback_with!(topic, :reply_by_email_disabled)
     end
 
diff --git a/spec/components/topic_creator_spec.rb b/spec/components/topic_creator_spec.rb
index e56da86f49e..aa9a47685af 100644
--- a/spec/components/topic_creator_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/components/topic_creator_spec.rb
@@ -126,7 +126,7 @@ describe TopicCreator do
       end
     end
 
-    context 'private message' do
+    context 'personal message' do
 
       context 'success cases' do
         before do
@@ -146,7 +146,7 @@ describe TopicCreator do
         end
 
         it "should be possible for a trusted user to send private messages via email" do
-          SiteSetting.expects(:enable_personal_email_messages).returns(true)
+          SiteSetting.enable_personal_email_messages = true
           SiteSetting.min_trust_to_send_email_messages = TrustLevel[1]
 
           expect(TopicCreator.create(user, Guardian.new(user), pm_to_email_valid_attrs)).to be_valid
@@ -155,7 +155,7 @@ describe TopicCreator do
 
       context 'failure cases' do
         it "should be rollback the changes when email is invalid" do
-          SiteSetting.expects(:enable_personal_email_messages).returns(true)
+          SiteSetting.enable_personal_email_messages = true
           SiteSetting.min_trust_to_send_email_messages = TrustLevel[1]
           attrs = pm_to_email_valid_attrs.dup
           attrs[:target_emails] = "t" * 256