How To Hold Mail While On Vacation

How to Hold Mail While On Vacation (USPS Delivery Options and Advice)
Every time I am about to take an extended trip, I stop to consider what to do about our mail while away from home. With email and paperless (electronic) billing so common, I certainly receive less snail mail of a critical basis than in years past. However with charity requests, catalogs, sale circulars, and other bulk (junk) mail received almost daily, my mailbox tended to fill up in a matter of days. So do I...

Put the mail on hold at the US Post Office (local branch)
Let it pile up in the (never quite large enough) mailbox
Ask a family member or trusted neighbor to pick it up regularly​

usps hold mail

Why I've Put My Mail on Vacation Hold


As someone who prefers not to inconvenience others, in the past I have usually put our mail on hold with the post office. It seemed like the most secure and convenient option and costs nothing. Unfortunately my success rate while living in at several addresses in Pennsylvania (house and townhouse) and California (apartment and condo) has been mixed. Therefore I have gone back and forth among these three options to ensure that our mail does not overflow the box. The last thing I want to return home from vacation to is missing or lost mail.

I take lots of vacations and for the majority of situations, holding my mail worked. Twice my mail was never held as requested, but somehow it all fit (was shoved) in our mailbox while on a 10-day trip. Once our accumulated mail was not delivered to our home as of the return date (the date I picked for the mail service to resume). Therefore I had to make a special trip to the post office during business hours which was not fun.

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How to Stop Junk Mail

The average American receives 41 pounds of junk mail per year. Not only does junk mail clog up our mailboxes, it also wreaks havoc on the environment. Nearly half of the junk mail received annually (44 percent) ends up in a landfill. In addition, nearly $320 million in local tax money is used to dispose of junk mail, and more than 100 million trees are used to create pulpwood for paper products. While the United States Postal Service does not have a one-stop method for reducing junk mail, there are many ways to reduce the amount you receive.

Black out the bar code and address on all junk mail that is delivered using first class postage. Put a circle around the postage and write "Not accepted: return to sender." This can be put in any mail box, and it will be returned to the business that sent it.

usps change of address

Request a 1500 form from the U.S. Postal Service to stop the delivery of sexually explicit material.
Call 1-800-5 OPT OUT to stop mail generated from the three major credit reporting agencies. This will stop the majority of credit card offers.
Contact by phone, mail or email all companies that send out catalogs and request to be taken off their mailing lists.

1. Yellow Pages
Yellow Pages publishers know that there is no point of delivering a print directory to someone who does not want one. Based on your zip code, the system will identify which subscriptions you may receive and offer you the option to opt out.

2. DMA choice
DMAchoice™ is an online tool developed by the Direct Marketing Association, it will help you:
- have your name removed from the lists companies use to find new customers or donors, and magazine publishers use to find new subscribers,
- stop receiving catalogs from companies you haven't purchased from or magazine offers from publishers you haven't subscribed to,
- stop receiving mail offers from companies you haven't donated to or purchased from.

3. OptOutPreScreen
OptOutPrescreen.com is a centralized service to accept and process requests from consumers to opt-in or opt-out of firm offers of credit or insurance. It offers two options:
- electronic opt-out for five years: your name will not be eligible for inclusion on lists used for firm offers of credit or insurance for five years.
- permanent opt-out by mail: your name will no longer be eligible for inclusion on lists for firm offers of credit or insurance (in order to complete your permanent opt-out election, you must print and mail the permanent opt-out election form).

4. Inform your letter carrier
Even if this won't solve all the unsolicited mail problems, communicating your preferences with the person who actually puts the mail in your mailbox can go a long way. Explain your situation, zero waste lifestyle and discuss solutions with him/her.

5. Addressed mail only
Putting signs like Addressed mail only, [Former Resident's Name] does not live at this address, No Other Tenants Besides [Your Name] on your mailbox might work too. Even though you might have already told your letter carrier that you only want addressed mail in your mailbox, a visual reminder can be a strong one.
Pro-active solutions

6. Catalog choice
Catalog choice is a free service to opt out of catalogs, coupons, credit card offers, phone books, circulars and more. The process is pretty simple:
- you receive unwanted mail: unwanted catalogs, coupons and credit card offers, donation requests, and other junk mail arrive daily and clutter your home or office,
- you report it to them: you can simply log in to create a free account and register your opt-outs online. Just search for the company, and submit the opt—out,
- they'll take it from there: they act on your behalf to protect your consumer rights and get your opt-outs processed. You can keep track of your opt-outs, and if you receive the mail again, they will follow up!

How to Put an Mail on Hold

I went to my PO today to see if there was any mail for me to pick up in case there had been a day or two it was held. They had none for me to get. I asked to speak with the post master there and they aren't available but I got to speak to the supervisor. I've seen him before as sometimes he follows my regular carrier and I usually meet her at the curb if I'm home. I explained the situation from last week and also from past hold mail experiences. He told me my carrier is now on vacation and checked her hold mail section and found it in one huge pile. Told me it's wrong and he will talk to her about it.
I also said I did the hold online AND filled out the yellow card. He said that he can't access anything online because when Sony got hacked they also hacked all the USPS servers but it hasn't been released to the media yet that it happened (sounded like BS to me). So that was the reason the online didn't work. He said there was no reason that the yellow card didn't hold it.
Should I go ahead with contacting USPS customer service through online or phone still or just take the word of the supervisor? I don't really feel comfortable putting in another hold mail as they have Bern successful 0 times so far over the past 5 years..

usps holidays

Earlier this year over the summer I put my mail on hold as we were going away for 4 weeks. We returned to a mail stuffed box and mail on the ground around my box. Some subscription services where we get monthly packages were missing. Went to my P.O. to look for the packages and find out why my mail wasn't held. They had no packages and said it wasn't held because I don't have a permanent carrier every day and temporary carriers don't do the hold mail sorting. Also the desk person told me holding online is not reliable.

Fast forward to a few weeks ago. We're preparing to go out of town for a few weeks over the holidays. I go in person yo the P.O to hold my mail. Fill out the yellow card and hand it to the worker at the counter. They took it and told me next time I should do the hold online. I started the hold to take effect the day before we're leaving to make sure it worked. (Now I've got a regular carrier) She stopped to deliver my mail. I went out and asked about my hold. She hasn't seen anything but fills out the yellow hold mail form she has with her and had me sign and verify it. She then tells me that she is going out of town for my hold mail period but will make sure it is followed.

We came home yesterday to our overflowing mailbox again.
Who do I need to talk to about this? My neighbors report the same issues with the service. Something at my post office isn't working as intended and I'd like to be able to trust them holding my mail while I'm away not only to keep prying hands out of my mailbox but also to not have a billboard of an overfull mailbox announcing that no one is home.