By Sree Sreenivasan
DNAinfo Contributing Editor
We arrived in India for our vacation, confident we'd taken care of all the last-minute hassles of trying to get away from Manhattan: suspending the newspaper delivery (still subscribe to two a day); arranging with a neighbor to water our plants; sorta emptying our fridge.
And then I remembered. I forgot to have our mail delivery put on hold. Only reason I didn't panic is a service that many of you might find useful this holiday season — the U.S. Postal Service's Hold Mail Service.
By clicking on that link and filling out a simple form, I was able to suspend delivery of letters and packages and restart it when we returned. Worked like a charm, as it has for years, providing us with a big pile of mostly junk mail and catalogs when we returned.
This service is basically an online version of the yellow "Authorization to Hold Mail" cards (Form 8076 in USPSese) that you had to fill in at your local post office. Unlike that form, you can update or cancel your request remotely if your travel plans change.
How far in advance do I need to submit my Hold Mail request?
Online Hold Mail requests submitted before 2:00 A.M. Central Time can begin on the same Postal business day. Postal business days are Monday through Saturday.
Requests made in person at your local Post Office™ or by calling 1-800-ASK-USPS (1-800-275-8777) must be submitted one business day in advance. You may submit a Hold Mail request up to 14 days in advance.
Do I need to use redelivery service to resume my mail delivery if it is being held?
No, you do not need to use redelivery service to resume your mail. Your mail delivery will automatically resume on the ending date you specified when you submitted your Hold Mail request. If you chose to pickup your accumulated mail, regular mail delivery will resume on the next Postal business day after you pickup your accumulated mail.
How do I resume delivery of my mail, if I do not have access to my computer?
If you do not have access to a computer, you may call us toll free at 1-800-ASK-USPS (1-800-275-8777) to havemail delivery resumed. You will need your confirmation number to have your mail delivery resumed by phone. If you do not have your confirmation number, you will need to go to your local Post Office and present a photo I.D. to resume delivery of your mail before the end date.
Please note that the site says the service is not available in all ZIP codes nationally, but should work in most areas of Manhattan.
Have you used this service yet? Would you use it? Does it not work in your Zip code? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
