Mail Forwarding

[FelixTCat]

Maybe I'm just missing something? My wife and I live full time in our RV. We just signed up for the Escapees mail forwarding service. I went on the USPS website and put in a change of address for both my wife and myself (she uses her maiden name). Mail forwarding to the Escapees address will only be good for six months. At the end of the six months, do I have to inform my bank, dmv, etc... that they need to send everything to my new mailing address?? We do NOT want to change domicile and want to keep our home address the same.

Can someone explain this like I'm stupid because I think I may be.

TIA

[Gary and Larissa]

I think it shows that, because that is how much time you have left before you have to renew your annual membership. Please someone jump in if I am wrong?

Gary

[SWharton]

Changing your mailing address does not change your domicile.

We have changed everything over to online and get very little snail mail. I would recommend you start changing your addresses now, change to receiving as much as you can online and auto-pay. You will be glad you did this. Simplifies your life.

[Twotoes]

I use the Escapees So Dakota address as my domicile. I am full time. All my mail however is sent to the Livingston TX mail processing center. I use So Dakota as my official address and TX as my mailing address. 

[Chad Heiser]

You can keep your current domicile address and have a separate mailing address.  That is no problem.  You, however, need to notify everyone you receive mail from about the change of mailing address.  Simply putting a forwarding address at your current mailing address is just a temporary measure to make sure you get all your correspondence while you are in the process of notifying everyone of the change.  In other words, you need to contact all of your bank, monthly billing companies, etc. and notify them of the change.  Most all of these companies have a way to do this on line.  Ideally when you notify them, opt for receiving all your correspondence (bills) electronically.  This way you get an email letting you know about your bill, statement, etc. rather than a paper one through snail mail.  If there is something the business needs to send through regular mail, they still can, but most things can be done electronically.

[Jinx & Wayne]

Chad Heiser is correct.

This is a post office policy.  They will not forward beyond six months.  I think the logic is that you then have six months of free forwarding to change your mailing addresses.  When you do change things make a list of the places you changed (bank, etc.)  That way if you go back to your old address or a new one you can make changes all at once.  Another good thing to do is to stop getting mail from a lot of the places.  As Chad suggests, "going digital" will help, too.  I'm down to about 8-10 pieces of mail per months and should reduce that further in the near future.

Wayne & Jinx
2017 F-350 diesel, dually
2006 Carriage Carri-Lite 36KSQ

[JimK]

Be careful about the post office mail forwarding to begin with!   Weeks and even months after setting up mail forwarding, the post office still delivered some of our mail to the old address.  One important piece of mail was completely lost and it included a check for several thousand dollars.  Instead of relying on the post office request address changes with every place that sends you first class mail.

[durangodon]

On the flip side of this issue is the person who moves but doesn't update his new address to all his business associates.  I regularly get mail for the former occupants of my house who haven't lived here in three years.  I get mail from their doctors, banks, insurance agents, trade union, etc. 

Of course, it's illegal for me to just trash these items, so I'm burdened with writing something on each item and putting it back in the mail.  There should be a way to block mail for a certain party, just like for forwarding mail.  🙂

[Jaydrvr]

I never use USPS forwarding, as that also provides my new address to all the junk mailers that I don't need. It's a wonderful thing to have a new address and a mailbox free of all the junk mail, at least for a while. Plus, the post office isn't the most reliable at forwarding, as mentioned earlier. Jay

[FelixTCat]

Thank you all so much for your advice! I finally get it. Lol! My wife and I will have it all straight shortly thanks to y'alls input. 

[Dutch_12078]

One reason for changing your address ASAP after starting forwarding is to avoid missing "Do Not Forward" mail containing things like renewal/replacement credit cards and other important items.

[sandsys]

6 hours ago, JimK said:

Instead of relying on the post office request address changes with every place that sends you first class mail.

Also change address at any magazines you want to continue receiving. They usually require a three month lead time.

Linda

[hemsteadc]

10 hours ago, JimK said:

Be careful about the post office mail forwarding to begin with!....   Instead of relying on the post office request address changes with every place that sends you first class mail.

Boy I'll say.  Trusting the PO to get this right is a crap shoot.  In my experience they will keep forwarding mail even after you specifically tell them to stop.  Whether online or in  person.. it doesn't matter. 

If you want a separate mailing address then change it at the source.  Do not trust the post office.

Edited July 17, 2021 by hemsteadc

[Randyretired]

×2. Forwarding mail by USPS can be problematic.   We have had mail left in our box long after it was forwarded and had mail forwarded after we stopped it.  Additionally some mail is marked not to be forwarded.   Our bank statements had that so all of the statements were returned.  Then the bank threatened to lock the account.  We moved nearly everything online to lessen the problem.  Still we have had numerous problems and some very late mail.  Like a jury notice received a week after the trial.