Tuesday, August 10, 2021

Mail in Mexico

I remember after my dad retired, he'd wait for the mail to arrive every day. Boy, if the carrier was 15 minutes late he'd get anxious, wondering where it was. I'll admit that I found his obsession with the mail a bit humorous. 

Before I left for Mexico, I got a little anxious about what to do about my mail as well. You can't just change your address with Amazon and have it sent here; not with your bank, either. It turns out, mailing something from the U.S. is quite expensive and takes quite some time. It's as if the Pony Express is used at the border or something. 

So, what to do?

Technology came through for me. 

"How do you get your mail?" you ask.

Okay, I'll tell you.

I use a virtual mailbox. It's pretty cool, works well, and is awfully convenient.

It's called US Global Mail and here's how it works: I signed up for it and they provided me with an actual street address. (It's in Houston TX.) I submitted a change of address form with USPS and now my mail goes to my address in Houston. When I get a piece of mail, US Global notifies me by email and provides a scan of the envelope for me to see. If it's junk or something useless, I can opt to have it shredded. If I want to see the contents, they'll open it and scan it (for $3.00). If it's something I need, like a new ATM card, there are several options for getting it to me at various costs. 

Recently, I had received a new ATM card from my bank. It arrived at my new, Houston address, a scan of the envelope was sent to me, and I thought it was junk mail and had it shredded. Once I realized my error, I had my bank send a replacement. When it arrived at my Houston address, I had it Fed-Ex'd to me in Mexico. It was a whopping $38.00, but hey, it was trackable and I got it in three days.

There are several services like this, but I did my homework on prices, read reviews, and I'm very happy with US Global. Many businesses won't let you use a PO Box as your home address, but this service provides you with a real street address. Problem solved. The fee is $10 per month for unlimited pieces of mail. 

Of course, the best and most effective means of dealing with your mail is to simply go paperless as much as possible. It's efficient and, you know, the trees and all. . . 

So now, I'm like my dad when I get a notice that mail has arrived. I can't wait to see what it is. I'll even admit to glancing at the PDF on my phone . . . during church. 

My dad wouldn't have even done that. -- And he'd find such behavior a bit humorous. 






1 comment:

  1. with the exception of my rent and the thrift store in West I don't use my checks..and all my bills are paperless..I get lots of emails, texts etc. but nothing beats slow mail from folks..

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