[Catalina36]

When Snow Birding to TV for several months what is the Best way to handle my mail delivery from my other house??

[Fredman]

You can have it bundled by the post office and they will send it each week. I believe the cost is $17 per week. Check with the PO about the cost

[SIRE1]

This is the reply I gave to a similar question to mail forwarding. We are snowbirds, in The Villages for 5 months and in Michigan 7 months. Based on our experience, I have some recommendations for mail forwarding.

First, set up either email delivery of many of your bills (e.g. credit cards, cable, utilities) or set up Electronic Fund Transfer for them. The forwarding process is sometimes very slow and bills may not arrive before the due date.

Second, use the US Post Office web site to enter your forwarding request. Using the web site cost $1 but at least you know it was entered and the dates and forwarding address are correct. We used to send in the post card, which is free, but had some bad experiences when the info was entered into their computer incorrectly. By using the web site at least you will know what is entered into the post office computer system. It always amazes me that it cost me money for saving the post office from doing something they have to pay someone else to do, but that is the process.

Third, set your start and stop dates with enough lead time for mail that will be in the pipeline. We usually set the START forwarding date about 5 days before we leave. That way, any mail that has already been processed will arrive before we leave. And STOP forwarding about 10 days before you plan to leave. That way any mail that has already been processed and directed to the new address will arrive before you leave. It really does take around 10 days or so for forwarded mail to arrive vs. the 2-3 days for mail sent directly to the new address.

Fourth, for mail that you expect to receive on a regular basis (e.g. credit cards, cable TV, utilities, bank statements) , use their company web site and change your address on their Profile page. That way, this mail will be sent directly to your new address and avoid the long forwarding lead time delay. Then, before you return, use the company web site and change your address back. And remember, even though you submit a forwarding request to the post office, in addition to the junk mail that won't be forwarded, they also do NOT forward certain financial related mail. For instance, some of the income tax statements are not forwarded (learned this the hard way when we first became snow birds). So these must either have the address changed on the company web site or you have to print on your computer. Also, new and reissued credit cards are not forwarded, even though they are mailed in a regular looking envelope. So if you are expecting newly issued credit cards or even new books of checks, you must use the web site to change your mailing address.

Also, be aware that the post office will only forward magazines for a month or 2 (can't remember what it is but it is not long). So if you are going to be gone longer than that, make sure you go to the company web site and change your address on their Profile page or contact them by phone. That way, this mail will be sent directly to your new address. Then, before you return, use the company web site or phone again and change your address back.

Finally, Remember, if you change your address on a credit card web site, the new zip code is your address. We have a credit card that always requires me to enter my zip code at the pump when I get gas, and I have to remember which zip code to use.

[billethkid]

The USPS free forwarding works just fine. When initially set up it may take a few days to catch up, then regular delivery at the temporary location.

We did not care whether we got the magazines and other stuff....not significant enough to not use the free service.

One gets to put in the start and stop dates. So when you return "home" there is nothing to do.

We have done it for many years spending months at a time at our lake home in TN.

To each his/her own. No wrong way to do it.

[njbchbum]

We love the USPS Premium Mail Forwarding service - only have to go to pick up mail once a week! $20 processing fee and $20/wk. If/when installment loan/credit card paperwork does not arrive in a timely manner - no prob - we know the due dates and can always make a phone payment. I completed the enrollment on-line, get billed weekly and get emails to let us know what day mail pkg was sent and expected to arrive and when delivered.

[cj1040]

You can also register for informed delivery and get an email photo each day of what mail is at your address..in addition to mail forwarding.

[kathyspear]

Originally Posted by Fredman

You can have it bundled by the post office and they will send it each week. I believe the cost is $17 per week. Check with the PO about the cost

We used this when we were snowbirds. Pricey but worth it. Definitely recommend it.

kathy

[DAVES]

Suggestion I would start it a week before you leave for the Villages. We used to stop our mail before leaving for a vacation rather than bother neighbors. Unlike here our mail used to come to each individual home. Our motive-with mail piled up in front of your home it is an ad to thieves-they are not home.
Why do it before? The post office almost never got it right. Might be better here? Frankly the lady behind the boxes where we are rally does go the extra mile.

[Velvet]

When we SnowBirded we had all bills emailed. We had one set of credit cards for one address which we used only there, another set for the other address. No forwarding anything. Maybe hold the mail, mostly so as not to give thieves a sign we are not home. I changed newspapers, magazines and books to their digital format. We do not use paper mail in any form unless absolutely necessary.

[Catalina36]

Thank You So Much, your information is greatly appreciated.

[Papa_lecki]

Most mail are bills/statements. We have most bills on auto pay (utilities, etc). Most statements we get electronically - only I set up a separate email so all the notifications that statements are in one place.
We have a 10 year old neighbor, we pay her to grab the rest of the mail every day. I’m not crazy about post office knowing we are away.

[Pballer]

I am a snowbird. I registered for informed delivery, so I see images of all of the mail I am receiving in both The Villages and up north in daily emails. I paid the buck to do temporary change of addresses online. Mail forwarding from up north to The Villages works pretty well; the reverse is an abomination.

I registered my change of address online from The Villages to up north last June. At the beginning of July, I had a USPS package delivered to my house in The Villages; it was never forwarded. In July I had several pieces of mail arrive in the The Villages; they were finally forwarded up north in October.

My temporary change of address from The Villages to up north was supposed to expire a couple of weeks ago; but I think mail is still being forwarded. When a piece of mail is going to be forwarded, USPS stamps a barcode at the bottom of the piece of mail. As of yesterday, informed delivery email shows me images of mail with the barcode still being stamped. When I go online to try to manually cancel the change of address through the USPS website, it will not allow me to and gives me a message that the change of address is still being processed; if the change of address had truly ended, when I enter the change of address code, it should tell me that it is invalid.

If you are going to go this route, make sure you schedule your change of address a few days before you leave. Then hang out at your mailbox. When the mail carrier invariably screws up and delivers mail to you that should be forwarded, you can remind him that mail should be forwarded, not delivered. Even that may not work; it certainly didn't work for me last June.

[Bay Kid]

After years of confusion/lost mail at the p.o. I just quit using the TVs mail. All bills sent to my VA address. Not interested in mail while having so much fun!

[bp243]

After reading Forbes’ ideas about forwarding mail, it was suggested that if you are having a neighbor forward your important mail, it would be important to have the bar code at the bottom covered up along with adding the forwarding address. Has anyone tried this and does it work?

[Smalley]

We rented a PO Box at Pack n Ship, near Publix Spanish Springs. We have only gotton a tiny bit of mail. We think the mail arrives and is stored in the rear of the store while the staff is too busy to sort it. This has been frustrating. Next year, I'll set up more electronic bills.