7 Best Virtual Mailboxes for Expats and Travelers

This guide will cover the best virtual mailbox services for various groups. For instance, travelers, expatriates, digital nomads, and van dwellers.

I’ve been an expat for 4 years and felt it was time to find a service that could deal with my mail. Instead of relying on my parents. So I compiled all of the best virtual address services to help us make a decision.

Each point will cover where each product wins, its availability, pricing, and who they’re best for.

Afterward, I’ll cover this information:

• What a virtual mailbox is
• How it works
• Benefits
• How to find the best one

This is where the fun begins.

7 Best Virtual Mail Services (2022)

Here are the best digital mailbox services compared:

Mailbox Provider	Price	Best For
PostScan Mail	$15–30/mo.	Customer service & U.S. digital nomads
Physical Address	$7.98–$26.98/mo.	Free registered agent
iPostal1	$9.99–$39.99/mo.	Mail forwarding & shipping
VirtualPostMail	$20–$90/mo.	Address verification
US Global Mail	$9.95–$29.95/mo.	Secure facility (in 2 states)
Anytime Mailbox	$5.99–$39.99+/mo.	Receiving many mailing items
Earth Class Mail	$19–$229/mo.	Mail security

The following sections will dive into each service’s wins, losses, and other information.

1. PostScan Mail: Best Customer Service Availability

You’ll want PostScan Mail for customer service availability and if you don’t receive many mailing items. This plan won’t work for anyone who receives sensitive documents or who wants to integrate their virtual mailbox with third-party services.

Feature	Fee or Quantity
Business Address Pricing	NA
Personal Address Pricing	$15–$30/mo.
Check Deposit	NA
Recipients	1, 3, & 6
Secure Shredding	$1.00 (first 10 pages); $0.15 per additional page
Free Mail Items	30, 60, & 120
Price per additional	$0.50 per mailing item
Mail Scanning	0, 10, & 20 free;$2.00 for up to 10 pages; $0.25 per additional item
Third-party Integrations	None
Mail Forwarding	$2.00 (first item) & $0.50 per additional item + shipping price

They’ll support the following carriers: USPS, UPS, FedEx, DHL, and Amazon.

Unlike other services, PostScan Mail has customer service available on the weekends (PST time zone). You won’t have to worry if you have any issues on weekends.

Unlike some providers.

And you can contact them by calling or through email. But there’s no live chat. For expats or nomads outside of the U.S., you may have difficulty reaching someone. At least you can contact iPostal1 on the weekends.

Here are all of the countries PostScan Mail offers mailboxes in:

USA (43 states)	Taiwan	Ukraine
Northern Ireland	United Kingdom	Thailand
Switzerland	Slovakia	Singapore
Netherlands	Indonesia	Hong Kong
Grenada	Czech Republic	Canada
Belgium	Austria

PostScan Mail doesn’t have discounts when buying annual plans.

2. Anytime Mailbox: Best Value and Locations

Anytime Mailbox works as an excellent plan for anyone who receives over 125 mail items per month. However, you’d need to pay over $600 a year for their unlimited mailing item plan.

It also offers flexible pricing for virtual addresses throughout many countries.

Their pricing range is overwhelming. So I’ll do the best I can to summarize their pricing.

Feature	Fee or Quantity
Check Deposit	$3.00 per additional check
Recipients	Varies
Secure Shredding	$0.25 per additional item
Free Mail Items	Varies
Price per additional	$0.35 per additional item
Mail Scanning	$0.50 per additional item
Third-party Integrations	Not specified
Mail Forwarding	$5.00 per item + shipping price

This list would turn into a novel if I listed all the pricing, free mailing items, and other thresholds. You’ll want to explore their locations page and the pricing and features.

Because some locations and pricing tiers will include specific features. For instance, their California mailbox may not have the same features as a Washington address.

They have U.S. and U.K. customer support phone numbers, but don’t specify their available hours. So expats, travelers, and digital nomads with hours that overlap European hours have some hope.

But not if they need live chat support. While it’s rare to see a virtual mailbox provider offer chat rooms. Anytime Mailbox’s live chat is only available Monday–Friday, 6 am–12 am (PST).

Anytime Mailbox will provide addresses in 49 states and the following countries:

Australia	Austria	Denmark	Czech Republic
Belgium	Bulgaria	France	Egypt
Canada	Caribbean	Hungary	Hong Kong
China	Costa Rica	Indonesia	India
Croatia	Cyprus	Ireland	Italy
Kenya	South Korea	Malaysia	Mauritius
Mexico	The Netherlands	Nigeria	Norway
Pakistan	The Philippines	Portugal	Romania
Singapore	Slovakia	South Africa	Spain
Sri Lanka	Sweden	Switzerland	Taiwan
Thailand	Ukraine	United Arab Emirates	Northern Ireland
United Kingdom

You can get a refund within 30 days of subscribing to Anytime Mailbox. But only if you didn’t receive mail.

Anytime Mailbox will give you a small discount if you pay a year’s worth of your subscription in advance. Here’s an example. For a $14.99 monthly Silver plan, you could prepay a year and pay $164.99.

That saves you close to $15 a year.

3. Earth Class Mail: Best for Web Application Integration

Earth Class Mail works best for anyone who wants U.S.-based addresses that receive many non-medical secure documents. It’s also better compared to competitors because of the many third-party integrations they offer.

Helpful for integrating your virtual mailbox into your existing software ecosystem.

Feature	Fee
Business Address Pricing	$139/mo. or $229/mo.
Personal Address Pricing	$19–$79
Check Deposit	$39/mo. for 5 checks$2.00 per additional check
Recipients	1–unlimited
Secure Shredding	Free
Free Mail Items	Up to 250
Mail Scanning	$3.00–$4.00 per additional scan
Third-party Integrations	Google Drive, Dropbox, Xero, box, bill.com, & Quickbooks
Mail Forwarding	$1.00 per item + shipping + special packaging

I recommend looking into their detailed fees page to find the hidden costs of using Earth Class Mail. I appreciate their transparency.

They perform background checks on employees. It sounds nice, but will that actually protect your mail?

I found a worrying piece of copy on their website. When originally writing this piece, they were a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)-compatible virtual mailbox. But it appears they removed their HIPAA-accordance claim earlier this year.

Before:

After:

I wouldn’t rely on this virtual mailbox for medical documents.

You can only contact their customer service via email, phone, or through your account’s “help” tab. You won’t find any help during their weekends, as their agents are only available Monday–Friday (Central time zone).

Earth Class Mail offers at least 1 virtual address in every state.

They don’t have a money-back guarantee. And canceling your account will result in a $50 fee.

4. Physical Address: Best for Free Secure Shredding

This plan works best for anyone who wants unlimited recipients and secure shredding. It’s also a nice option for small businesses or freelancers who want a free registered agent.

Feature	Fee or Quantity
Business Address Pricing	NA
Personal Address Pricing	$7.98–$26.98/mo.
Check Deposit	None
Recipients	Unlimited
Secure Shredding	Free
Free Mail Items	30–200
Price per additional	Not transparent
Mail Scanning	$0.20 per additional scan
Third-party Integrations	None
Mail Forwarding	Not transparent

PhysicalAddress is the most affordable virtual mailbox for expats, van dwellers, and digital nomads. It offers many features at an affordable rate. You can also get a discount if you prepay your plan.

They don’t outsource their mailboxes or customer support. So you won’t have to worry about a random CRMA handling your personal information. However, after looking at their website, I’d worry about letting them deal with my documents.

Why?

Because they have a vague privacy policy [1]. And usually, websites have privacy policies at the bottom of every page. I had to navigate to a separate page to access PhysicalAddress’ privacy policy.

You can only access their customer service on weekdays (Pacific time zone) through email or phone. 

Here are the cities you can access:

1. Wall Street, New York: $19.98/mo.
2. Boise, Idaho: $7.98/mo.
3. Dallas, Texas: $9.98/mo.
4. Atlanta, Georgia: $9.98/mo.
5. Orlando, Florida: $9.98/mo.
6. Laguna Beach, California: $10.98/mo.
7. Las Vegas, Nevada: $8.98/mo.

PhysicalAddress lists EVERY feature each address includes. And they’re all the same. Couldn’t they have just said, “each plan includes the same features”?

Anyway:

Pay for your plan a year in advance, and you’ll get 20% off. They couldn’t take the time to implement a toggle that shows your savings. So I’ll do it for them.

Here’s an example. Pay for the Orlando, Florida plan a year in advance, and you’ll pay $95.80. If you were to pay for each month, you’d waste $119.76.

5. iPostal1: Best for Location Availability

iPostal1 works best for mail forwarding and shipping in general. Because iPostal1 offers up to 50% off international shipping rates. Then they’ll give you $100 in free shipping insurance.

Feature	Fee or Quantity
Business Address Pricing	$9.99–$99.99/mo.
Personal Address Pricing	$9.99–$99.99/mo.
Check Deposit	$4.95 (up to 5 checks)
Recipients	4 (business)5 (personal)
Secure Shredding	$2.25/10 pages $0.25 per additional page
Free Mail Items	30–240
Price Per Additional Mailing Item	$0.35
Mail Scanning	Same as shredding
Third-party Integrations	None
Mail Forwarding	NA

Each physical address comes with its own supported features and set of fees. Fortunately, from my experience, I didn’t have to pay extra to get features like international forwarding.

While you don’t have to pay for mail disposal, you must pay for secure shredding. If you receive a lot of mail and are privacy-conscious, I don’t recommend this service.

If you’re a business, have disposable income, and don’t mind the 2 GB of cloud storage, you may like iPostal1.

As far as remotely managing your mail goes, they will either take a picture of it and send it to the cloud storage attached to your account, or you can pay to have it converted into a PDF. The PDF feature is nice because it’s searchable. But that’s every PDF. So, the amount that you’re paying to get these files is a little too much for my taste.

They’ll give you up to $100 in insurance for free. Then, afterward, they’ll charge a small fee for every additional hundred dollars worth of insurance you want to add.

If you’re interested in becoming an iPostal1 customer, you can either call them or send them an email and receive a response during a business day (EST time zone). If you have an account and are locked out of it during the weekend, you’re out of luck.

If you need a business address, you can use one of their coworking space or office building addresses. They have these in select states and a couple of countries.

They have addresses in 49 states (excluding Alaska) and the following countries:

Austria	Canada	China	Czech Republic
Italy	The Netherlands	Singapore	Slovakia
Spain	Switzerland	Taiwan	Ukraine
United Kingdom

You can either pay for plans monthly or annually.

With iPostal1’s annual plan, they give you a couple months for free. If you opt for this service, I’d recommend testing them with a 1-month plan. Afterward switch to an annual plan to save the most money.

6. VirtualPostMail: Best for Address Verification

VirtualPostMail (VPM) works best for anyone who needs proof of a real address. Having this information works best for anyone who wants to open an Amazon store, business bank account, or other merchant services.

Feature	Fee or Quantity
Business & Personal Address Pricing	$20–$90/mo.
TruLease Pricing	$100/mo.
Check Deposit	$10 per check
Recipients	2–20
Secure Shredding	Free
Free Mail Items	25 or unlimited
Price Per Additional Mailing Item	$0.50 per item
Mail Scanning	$1.00 per page after free scans;$0.25 per additional page
Third-party Integrations	None
Mail Forwarding	Varies

VPM also has TruLease. TruLease costs are significantly more than the mailbox plans. You save a lot if you need an address to prove you’re staying at a particular place.

For instance, VPM will give you a lease agreement and phone verification. You could pay for a utility bill add-on for an additional verification form.

VPM doesn’t offer 24/7 support. So, you’re screwed if something happens on the weekend. Their support is only available during business days (PDT time zone). As for their contact methods, you can contact them via email, contact form, and phone.

On top of the verified address, you benefit from every feature included in the mailbox plans.

Virtual Post Mail offers virtual addresses in the following locations:

• Covina, California
• Henderson, Nevada
• Claymont, Delaware
• Brandon, Florida

VPM offers a 30-day money-back guarantee and doesn’t come with any setup fees. It’s an excellent way for you to test their services without feeling scammed.

7. US Global Mail: Best for Check Deposits

US Global Mail is only good if you want a secure facility located in Texas or California.

Feature	Fee or Quantity
Business Address Pricing	$34.99/mo.
Personal Address Pricing	$14.99 or $19.99/mo.
Check Deposit	Free
Recipients	Up to 10
Secure Shredding	Not transparent
Free Mail Items	Not transparent
Price Per Additional Mailing Item	Not transparent
Interior Mail Scanning	$3.00 + $0.50 per item
Third-party Integrations	None
Mail Forwarding	Not transparent

I don’t have much praise for this provider. And only included it as a last resort.

As with most of the virtual mailing services on this list, US Global Mail doesn’t have customer service available on the weekends (Central time zone). However, they offer an international and U.S. customer service phone number and a contact form to reach their support agents.

From my experience, their customer service was unresponsive.

While each plan offers unlimited free exterior mailing scans, none of their three plans give you free interior mail scanning. You’ll need to pay a flat fee for the mail item. Afterward, you have to pay a fee per page scanned.

US Global Mail has addresses in the following cities and states:

City	State
Arizona	Phoenix & Scottsdale
California	Concord
Delaware	Claymont
Georgia	Atlanta
Texas	Houston
Illinois	Bannockburn & Chicago
Indiana	Jefferson
Kansas	Wichita
Kentucky	Louisville
Maryland	Baltimore
Florida	Miami Beach & Miami
Missouri	Farmington
Nevada	Las Vegas
New Mexico	New Rio Rancho
New York	New York City
North Carolina	Charlotte & Wilmington
Ohio	Hilliard
Oklahoma	Tulsa & Edmond
Pennsylvania	Bethel Park
Washington	Seattle
South Carolina	Fort Mill
Tennessee	Nolensville
Virginia	Spotsylvania
Washington DC	NA
Wisconsin	Jackson
Oregon	Bend

Locations that US Global Mail supports.

All locations start at $9.95 monthly, except for California. That address starts at $14.95 a month. And they offer a money-back guarantee.

If you prepay your plan, you can save up to $5.00 monthly.

What Is A Virtual Mailbox? #

A virtual mailbox service gives you a physical mailing address to accept letters, documents, and packages. These services will then forward the mail to wherever you are staying. Whether it’s somewhere within the states or abroad.

How Does a Virtual Mailbox Work? #

You will receive a street address for the mailing service provider’s network. Addresses these providers use is a registered Commercial Mail Receiving Agency (CMRA).

That means private businesses can receive mail on behalf of a third party.

Once the CMRA receives your mail, they will take a picture of it and send it to your inbox. From there, you have a couple of options:

1. Forward your mail with newly paid postage
2. Have the CMRA discard or shred your mail

I wrote a more in-depth guide that explains how these services work.

Virtual Mailbox Benefits #

Some benefits that come with using a virtual mailbox include:

• Remote mail management
• Let someone else deposit checks while you’re abroad
• Could reduce the chance of mail theft

Explore more advantages that come with using these services here.

Virtual Mailbox Buyer’s Guide #

Here’s what you should consider when shopping for a virtual mailbox:

• Avoid secret fees: pay attention to the price per mailing item or whether providers charge for multi-user login
• Remote management tools: determine whether you want to pay extra for features such as address book and calendar management
• How much mail you receive: figure out how much mail you usually receive, then find a plan that charges the least per mailing item
• Address location: ensure the mailing service provider offers an address at your desired location
• Customer service: ensure you can reach someone quickly
• Check deposit services: an obvious choice for someone who frequently receives checks

Your criteria for these services will depend on your needs. For instance, some will mind paying for check deposit services. While others won’t.

FAQs: Virtual Address Services

The following will answer some of the most commonly asked questions about virtual address services.

Wrapping Up

Virtual mailboxes are not for everyone. But they can be a good option for specific needs.

Keep in mind that my opinions and needs will likely differ from yours. Therefore, I recommend using this list as a starting point and the buying guide as criteria for subscribing to your virtual mailing service.
If you still don’t understand how virtual mailboxes work, you will want to check out my other virtual address guides. That way, you know what you’re buying.