Everyone loves to get mail. We all rush to the mailbox of our sticks-and-bricks houses to see if there’s anything with our names on it (You know you do it, too!). That’s why when we decided to go on the road, RV mail forwarding services were among our first considerations.
There are many options out there, but not all are as reliable as you might think. Let’s see which one might be right for your mail needs.
What Is an RV Mail Forwarding Service?
This service acts as a forwarding address for your mail when you don’t have a physical address to give the post office. You ask postal services to send mail and packages to their address, and they handle it and forward it on to you when you’re ready. You can send packages there, too.
How Does an RV Mail Forwarding Service Work?
Traditionally, forwarding your mail involves getting the US Postal Service to send your mail to a single, new address. You fill out one form online, and you’re done!
An RV mail forwarding service operates a little differently. Because you’re always on the go, you won’t have a single address to give them. So, you’ll ask mail carriers to deliver your mail to your forwarding service’s address.
Along with holding your mail, an RV mail forwarding service has different programs depending on which services you need. Some will photograph the envelope front and upload it to a server when you can decide what to do with it. Others will forward everything you receive, junk mail and all.
If you ask for digital scans, workers will post each item to an encrypted server, which you can access wherever you have a signal.
Why Do You Need An RV Mail Forwarding Service?
Having a mail forwarding service is a secure way to store your mail. Instead of letting it accumulate in your mailbox at home or a friend’s house, this service will collect your mail and send it where it needs to go.
Keep in mind that the US Postal Service will only store your mail for 30 days and your parcels for 10. After that, they return the items to the sender. If you’re on the road for too long, you won’t receive any of your mail.
Even if you’re only planning to be gone a couple of weeks at a time, it might be wise to use a mail forwarding service. That way, you won’t miss essential items like tax documents or bills.
Remember that some items will always be mailed to your domicile address, like tax information, car registrations, and new or replacement credit cards. They won’t send that information to your relatives or a campground mailbox. So having a mail forwarding service ensures each piece of mail will fall into your hands sooner or later.
Pro Tip: Check out the Prepare for Full-Time RV course to learn everything you need to know to smoothly transition from your home to your RV.
How Much Does an RV Mail Forwarding Service Cost?
The cost and billing of RV mail forwarding services vary. Some charge a monthly fee, others do an annual price, and a few have fees based on the services you want to use, like mail forwarding, interior scans of your mail, or check cashing.
Basic services start around $10 per month, but if you’re looking for premium features, it might cost as much as $40-$50 monthly. You’ll also cover any shipping and postage costs when they forward your mail as well.
Most RVers find this a small price to pay for such a valuable service!
The Best RV Mail Forwarding Services Available
While most RV mail forwarding services will handle your mail with care and respect, you don’t want to send your mail into careless hands. Researching a reputable service that swears to protect and carefully handle your mail will save you a lot of pain in the future.
Another thing to consider is having a mail forwarding service in the state in which you establish a domicile. This is why many of the mail forwarding services have addresses in Florida, Texas, and South Dakota, as these are the most popular states for full-time RVers to set up domicile.
Pro Tip: Learn how to set up your Full-Time RV Domicile in Florida, Texas, and South Dakota.
To get you started on your search, here are our top recommendations.
1. Escapees RV Club Domicile and Mail Forwarding Service
Escapees is a large membership organization for RVers that also offers mail forwarding with a real street address.
They have several plans, each of which includes a unique mailing address from Florida, Texas, or South Dakota, and they accept packages from UPS and FedEx. They also offer mail forwarding on request or by schedule, and they give you online account access.
Escapees’ mail forwarding service offers three categories. Plan A handles all of your mail, plan B handles selected letters and packages, and plan C offers custom mail sorting. You can use the mail scanning service in the B and C categories and only have mail you want sent to you, thus saving postage.
Escapees Club has a $50 enrollment fee and a $50 postage deposit fee for all of its categories., After paying your initial enrollment and deposit fees, Plan A costs $95, Plan B $115, and Plan C $135. There are additional fees for receiving packages in all categories.
There is also a mail scanning option for you to view mail online, including the envelopes and content, for $10 per month. There’s an additional fee of $0.50 for each page scanned. If you don’t want them to forward some things, they can destroy them for you.
Check all of the FAQs and other information about the service before you sign up to make sure this is a good fit.
2. Good Sam Mail Service
Good Sam Mail Service offers three plans. If you’re a Good Sam’s member, you get up to a 25 percent discount on select plans. There’s a basic plan for $24.85 per month (discounted), a premium plan for $33.15 per month, or a business plan for $39.95 per month.
With Good Sam, you get a physical street address in Florida and can share the account with your whole family. You’ll have online access to your mail and can ask to have things shipped to you. There are no fees for packages or storage.
The premium plan offers up to five free envelope content scans per month. It will also initiate check deposits for you for a $4.95 charge. In the business plan, you can have checks deposited for free, and there are some other business services like a personal toll-free number, call forwarding, faxing, and customizable voicemail.
3. St. Brendan’s Isle
St. Brendan’s Isle offers mail forwarding to cruisers, RVers, traveling nurses and doctors, businesses, ex-pats, and merchant marines. You can have a traditional mailbox and have your mail sent to you as often as you’d like.
Or you can have a virtual mailbox and get your mail scanned and uploaded to the server. You can then decide to have them hold it, shred it, send it, or scan the contents to you.
St. Brendan’s Isle uses a Florida street address. They have three mail-forwarding options, but we recommend using the Travelers Special for $11.99 per month.
The company will assist with obtaining Florida residency, and you can access your mail 24 hours a day online. The security is top-notch with a 256-bit SSL Certificate, a state-of-the-art shredding facility, and all employees are bonded and go through a background check.
4. Traveling Mailbox
Traveling Mailbox will scan the front of the envelope, and then you can ask them to either scan the inside, forward the letter without opening it, shred it, return it, or hold it for future use.
They can also deposit checks for you by sending them to your bank for deposit. They use data encryption software and 24-hour surveillance to secure your information.
Rates start at $15 per month for three mailbox recipients and 40 incoming envelopes per month. There’s also a small business plan that serves 10 mailbox recipients and 200 incoming envelopes per month.
Each plan has free mail shredding and a designated number of scans per month. There’s unlimited cloud storage, though, and if you don’t use all of your scans one month, you can roll them over to the next month. There’s a military discount too.
5. Dakota Post
Dakota Post operates in South Dakota. It offers one plan at $239 annually with access to an online portal to view your mail. You can have important mail sent to you at $2.00 per item plus shipping or have it scanned to you for $1.00 per request and $0.50 per page.
The traditional mail forwarding service has a $25 one-time activation fee, and you have to put $100 on your account as an initial postage deposit. The plans are based on how often you have mail shipped to you. You’ll pay the bill annually, and you can get mail monthly for $155, bi-weekly for $185, weekly for $210, and daily for $235.
Dakota Post also offers concierge service for $24 per year to talk to someone about what’s in your mailbox, watch for specific items, and scan and email the contents of your mailbox.
6. MyRVMail.com
MyRVMail.com is based in Crestview, FL, and is part of Passport America (PA). PA members receive a 25 percent discount.
The program offers basic, premium, and business services. You manage your mail and packages with a smartphone. Using the premium plan, MyRVMail.com will take a picture of the envelope or front of the box. Then, you decide what to do with it.
You pay the shipping on any items you want sent to you. You can have checks deposited by MyRVMail.com, and they remove junk mail for you as soon as it arrives at their facility for free.
The discounted monthly prices are $24.85 for basic, $33.15 for premium, and $39.95 for business. Premium offers a few more perks like five envelope scans per month and check deposits for $4.95 per check.
7. America’s Mailbox
America’s Mailbox has a mailing address in South Dakota, and they can help you establish residency if you want. The plans all have a one-time $25 fee, and the prices range from $149.99 per year for the bronze level to $229.99 annually for titanium plus. Each plan also has a suggested postage fund.
At the gold level, they’ll remove your junk mail and forward packages. This plan gives you 24/7 online access to your mail as well.
The titanium plus plan gives you unlimited exterior scans of the front of every envelope and package. Interior scans are extra. If you register your vehicles in SD, America’s Mailbox will register and renew your vehicle for an additional fee.
Plus, if you’re an annual customer and stop by the office, they’ll buy you lunch!
How to Choose the Best RV Mail Forwarding Service for You
It’s hard to determine which company is right for you. Take into account where you domicile and where you’re most likely to travel in the event you need to pick up your mail in person. Also, think about your budget and how much mail you typically receive.
Considering these items ahead of time can save you hassle in the long run, but remember that nothing is final. You can change companies or plans if your needs change.
Ultimately, don’t fret about your mail delivery. You can ask for many communications online and have one of these companies handle the rest. Then, you can concentrate on finding great destinations to visit.
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Peggy
Tuesday 7th of September 2021
Anytime Mailbox starts at $4.99 and has mostly the same services as these. I haven’t used it but it sounds great.
Mortons on the Move
Tuesday 7th of September 2021
Thanks for the tip!
Deborah Kerr
Sunday 21st of March 2021
Thank you - this is information that you researched and explained very thoroughly and maybe (hopefully) we'll need it someday!! ? There are ALOT of options!