There‘s something undeniably exciting about getting real mail – a handwritten letter from a friend, a special package you‘ve been waiting for, even a postcard from a vacationing relative. But unless you stalk your mailbox all day, it‘s hard to know exactly when that day-brightening delivery will arrive. That‘s where USPS Informed Delivery comes in.
This free service from the United States Postal Service allows you to digitally preview your incoming mail and packages, so you know what to expect before you check the mailbox. Sounds pretty great, right? Here‘s everything you need to know about how Informed Delivery works and whether it‘s right for you.
What Is USPS Informed Delivery?
In a nutshell, Informed Delivery is a notification service that provides USPS customers with digital previews of their household‘s letter-sized mail and tracked packages that are scheduled to arrive soon. These previews come via email or can be viewed on your online USPS account dashboard or the USPS mobile app.
The scans show the exterior of letter-sized mailpieces that are processed through USPS sorting equipment. So while you can‘t read the contents, you can usually see who the sender is, allowing you to anticipate mail from specific people or businesses. You‘ll also see status updates for any packages you‘re expecting that have USPS tracking.
The Postal Service rolled out Informed Delivery in 2017 after several years of testing. As of 2021, it‘s available in most ZIP codes across the country and has over 36 million users. The service is completely free to sign up for and use.
How Does Informed Delivery Work?
Using high-speed sorting equipment, USPS automatically scans the front of every letter-sized mailpiece that runs through its processing facilities. These scanned images are then matched to the delivery addresses and linked with the Informed Delivery system.
For individuals who have signed up for the service, USPS compiles these scanned preview images into a notification that is emailed by mid-morning on days when mail is being processed and delivered to your address. You can also access your Informed Delivery dashboard directly through the USPS website or app to see the latest preview.
Informed Delivery is limited to mail that is processed on USPS automated equipment, which includes most letter-sized envelopes and postcards. Larger envelopes, catalogs, magazines, and packages will not be imaged, even though you‘ll still receive them in your mailbox as usual. More on that later.
In addition to mail previews, Informed Delivery will show you the delivery status of any packages being shipped to your address that have a USPS tracking number. This allows you to see all your household‘s incoming mail and packages in one place.
Signing Up for Informed Delivery
To enroll in Informed Delivery, you first need to create a free USPS.com account if you don‘t already have one. Make sure the address on your account is correct, as this will be used to match the service to your mailbox.
Then, simply navigate to the Informed Delivery section of the USPS website and click the "Sign Up For Free" button. You‘ll be asked to verify your identity by answering a few multiple-choice questions about things like past addresses, phone numbers, or other personal details on your credit profile. This is to prevent unauthorized access to your mail.
Most people are able to complete the verification process online in a few minutes. If the online verification doesn‘t work for you, USPS can instead mail you a physical verification code to enter. Once your identity and address are confirmed, you‘ll start receiving email notifications within 3 business days.
What‘s Included (and Not) in Informed Delivery
It‘s important to understand that Informed Delivery doesn‘t show you scans of every single thing that lands in your mailbox. Here‘s a rundown of what the service does and doesn‘t include:
What You‘ll See:
- Scans of letter-sized mailpieces (envelopes, postcards, etc.) that are processed on USPS automated equipment
- Delivery status of packages with USPS tracking numbers
What‘s Not Shown:
- Mailpieces that are too large to pass through automated sorting equipment (magazines, catalogs, padded envelopes, etc.)
- Packages that are shipped through other carriers like FedEx or UPS
- Mail addressed to other people in your household who haven‘t signed up for Informed Delivery
- More than 10 mail scans per day (if you receive over 10 pieces, only the first 10 will be included in your notification)
Why Don‘t Some Mailpieces Have Images?
One common question people have about Informed Delivery is what it means when a notification message states "A piece of mail that we do not have an image for" or "Packages that are not trackable" are included in that day‘s mail.
As mentioned, any mailpieces that are too large or thick to be scanned by the automated equipment will not have preview images available, even though they‘re being delivered to your address. This most often applies to magazines, catalogs, and padded envelopes.
In your email notification, under the "Mailpieces" section, you‘ll see an message like this when you have items arriving that couldn‘t be scanned:
Mailpieces That We Don‘t Have Images For
– You have 2 mailpieces that are only available as a physical copy in today‘s mail.
So while you won‘t get a visual preview of what those particular pieces look like, rest assured they‘re on their way to your mailbox. Make sure to still check your physical mail to retrieve them.
Some packages may also be marked as "not trackable" if USPS does not provide tracking for that particular service class or if the shipper created their own barcode rather than a standard USPS tracking label. But in most cases, you will be able to view the delivery status of any packages you‘re expecting.
Benefits of Using Informed Delivery
What‘s so great about seeing your mail before you get it? Informed Delivery offers several benefits and use cases:
- Know when important letters or sensitive mail will be arriving so you can retrieve it promptly for security
- Get notified of packages out for delivery so you or someone else can be around to receive them
- Easily check if you have any mail to pick up while traveling or away from home
- Keep an eye out for bills, checks, cards, or other specific pieces of mail you‘re waiting on
- Monitor if any expected mail doesn‘t show up when it‘s supposed to
- Streamline your household‘s incoming mail and package deliveries in one place
For example, if you‘re waiting on an important document like a passport renewal, Informed Delivery will give you a heads up on the day it‘s slated to be delivered so you can make sure to grab it right away. Or if you‘re waiting on a check, birthday card, or college admissions letter, you‘ll know to expect it in your mailbox soon.
Another helpful feature is the ability to report missing mail if a pieces that‘s shown in your preview email doesn‘t actually arrive. Under each mailpiece scan is a "I didn‘t receive this mailpiece" option you can click. This notifies USPS that there may be an issue with your delivery so they can investigate.
Is Informed Delivery Secure?
By its very nature, Informed Delivery has some inherent security and privacy implications. After all, you‘re allowing a third party (USPS) to compile and send personal information about your household‘s mail. And if someone else were to gain access to your account, they could potentially see sensitive mail that‘s coming your way.
To its credit, USPS does have safeguards in place to verify each user‘s identity and prevent unauthorized signups. The knowledge-based verification questions upon enrollment are designed to ensure only the proper recipient can activate Informed Delivery for their address.
However, some security experts have pointed out that bad actors may be able to get around these steps, especially if they have a lot of personal information on the intended victim (think: a stalker or abusive ex). A determined scammer could also use social engineering tactics to trick USPS into merging their account with yours.
Once signed up, Informed Delivery doesn‘t provide a way to see which accounts are linked to your address or allow you to block someone else from activating it. So while the convenience is undoubtedly appealing, you‘ll have to decide if the benefits outweigh any potential security downsides for your situation.
Managing Your Informed Delivery Settings
You can customize your Informed Delivery preferences and settings through your online USPS profile. In addition to toggling email notifications on or off, you can also:
- Change the email address where notifications are sent
- Add or update your mobile phone number to receive text alerts
- Link your USPS Click-N-Ship account to import package tracking
- Opt in or out of marketing messages from USPS
- Update your residential address if you move
If you ever want to stop using Informed Delivery altogether, you can turn off the feature through your USPS account settings. Just be aware that as long as you maintain an active USPS.com account, someone else could potentially turn the service back on without your knowledge. To fully unenroll, you‘ll need to take the extra step of closing your entire USPS.com profile.
The Bottom Line
USPS Informed Delivery offers a free and convenient way to preview your household‘s incoming mail and packages before they reach your mailbox. While not 100% comprehensive, it does provide helpful visibility into letter-sized mail and USPS-trackable deliveries that are on the way.
Enrolling in Informed Delivery is relatively quick and painless for most users, and the benefits are enticing – especially if you‘re someone who eagerly tracks and anticipates deliveries. However, there are some security considerations to be aware of, as the service does create a digital gateway into your personal snail mail.
As long as you understand what the service can and can‘t do, and you take steps to safeguard your account access, Informed Delivery can be a useful tool to streamline your postal mail in our increasingly digital world. Whether the tradeoffs are worth it is up to you, but hopefully you now have the information needed to make an informed decision!
