US Postal Service Offers 'Premium' Mail Forwarding

Business travel, temporary work assignments, college, personal emergencies, "snow birds," relocation, even military duty are taking people away from home for longer periods of time.

This is the customer the United States Postal Service had in mind in developing a new service available to all consumers - Premium Forwarding Service (PFS).

PFS is a personalized service for sending all mail from a primary residential address to a temporary address using Priority Mail. Express Mail, First-Class Mail or Priority Mail packages too large to fit inside the Premium Forwarding Service package are rerouted separately at no additional charge. PFS is available only for domestic mail.

It is designed for residential customers who want to receive all of their mail at a temporary address, including a Post Office Box, regardless of the distance.

With PFS, the Postal Service boxes and reships mail to a temporary address for customers who are away from their primary address for at least two weeks and up to one year. The nationwide service begins today, providing all residential customers with a range of quality mail-forwarding options to meet individual needs.

Premium Forwarding is designed to make life on the road or separation from friends and family a little easier.

"Customers won't have to wait for correspondence and favorite magazines until they return home," said Nick Barranca, Vice President of Product Development. "Premium Forwarding gives customers one more way to enjoy their mail in a timely manner."

Interested customers simply complete an application at the Post Office serving their primary address. Necessary information including name, address of primary residence, temporary address, contact numbers and start and end dates is required. Premium Forwarding Service is temporary, but it does not replace the temporary or permanent Change-of-Address option or Hold Mail services. These services still are available at no charge.

"Convenience to the customer is key," Barranca said. "Whatever your situation may be, the Postal Service has several convenient service options for handling your mail. You may be away from home, but your mail doesn't have to be."

There is a one-time enrollment charge of $10. Customers are charged $10 for each weekly shipment during the period they are enrolled in the Premium Forwarding Service.

posted by Consumer Help Web Editorial Team at 6:41 AM |