Post office change off address linked to financials.

[justRich]

We're snowbird wanna' be full timers.
So every year we file a change of address going south, then a cancellation of the change-of-address going north.

Mail has always been forwarded to us at the southern address.
This year something different happened.  At the gas station one of our credit cards didn't work.
Later, I found that it did work if I entered my current southern zip code.

AND, we started receiving statements directly to our southern address - no yellow forwarding label on the mail.
SOME pieces of mail had the yellow forward sticker, others not and were sent direct - depending on who sent it.

Finally, one institution sent a letter explaining that they were linked to the post office through special software that notified them of a change of address!!!!
The institutions then updated their information regarding our mailing address.
To my current knowledge, this new software linkage to the post office is variable - depending on the institution whether they use it or not.
None of the institutions, except one, notified us of this new technical "advance" - although several have apparently started using it.

But now we know.  Mystery solved.

 

 

[Ray,IN]

Thank you for the explanation! That clears up some questions.

[Kirk W]

15 minutes ago, Rich&Sylvia said:

But now we know.  Mystery solved.

If you use the temporary forwarding service, it is good for up to 6 months and then expires. You shouldn't then have that problem. 

[Ray,IN]

I found a problem with temporary forwarding, many financial institutions have directed the USPS not forward their correspondence. The address change solves that, and now that we may do it online it is much easier.

That is moot for us now unless I get healthy enough for surgery, the surgeon said I'm too high a risk now.

[sandsys]

5 hours ago, Ray,IN said:

That is moot for us now unless I get healthy enough for surgery, the surgeon said I'm too high a risk now.

That's scary. I hope your prognosis improves.

Last year a surgeon told me I needed to lose 40 pounds and get my A1c down before she would operate. I did all that. Then covid-19 hit. Oh, well. At least my surgery is voluntary not urgent. Having learned to live with it now I may never do the surgery. I've been told that at my age any anything requiring anesthetic is risky.

Linda

[fpmtngal]

It seemed like a lot of companies are tied into the post office’s change of address system - I went full-time October, 2019 and changed my California address to Texas.  About a month or so later I got a letter from my medical insurance company asking me to verify my status and whether the change of address were temporary or permanent - if it was a permanent change of address to out of state, they could no longer cover me.