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RV Travel - Mail Forwarding, Banking, and
Credit Cards
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RV Travel - What You Need To Know About Mail Forwarding,
Banking, and Credit Cards
Even if you are full-time RV camping you'll need to get your mail delivered somewhere.
The first option many of us RVers consider is having a trusted relative collect and
forward our mail. It seems such a simple thing, throw the mail in a pile and send it to
the RV park when I call. Truth is, fellow fulltime RVer, you are imposing quite a burden
on your friend, or relative, and they probably aren't going to handle your mail as
efficiently as a professional mail forwarding service designed for RV campers.
We used an RV mail forwarding service in Florida for many years with great
satisfaction. There are many services out there that will handle your mail in a
professional, economical, and efficient manner. Usually, most RVers will have their
forwarding service to accumulate mail until they are ready to receive it, then they call
their service and have it all sent in one package.
The mail forwarding process is quite simple. Most RV parks allow you to receive mail at
their office and for those that do not, just have your mail sent to you, general delivery,
at the nearest post office. We have never had a problem getting mail this way.
If you’re moving frequently, you can find out in advance what the RV park, or local
post office address is, and have your forwarding service to send all your mail in one
package by priority mail to arrive about the same time you do. If you are having it sent
to an RV park, just be sure to let them know ahead of time that you will be arriving as
will your mail, otherwise they may reject the parcel if it's not for one of their
customers.
If you are staying in one place for a few weeks, or months, you can usually schedule your
mail to come on a regular schedule, or just call your forwarding service and tell them to
send your mail when you're ready.
The costs are going to vary depending on the level of services you require. We have always
only used the most basic services, but if you're running a full-scale business on the
road, you may have need for more advanced services.
Here are some mail suggestions to consider before you hit the road for good:
Sign up for the mail forwarding service you are most comfortable with.
Cancel most, if not all, magazine subscriptions, book club, record club
and any other subscription service that ships bulky products. These items are expensive to
have forwarded. Most magazine subscription lists are sold on a regular basis, thus
generating lots of junk mail for you.
Go to the Direct Marketing Association website online at www.dmaconsumers.org and register
your new and old mailing addresses for removal from mailing lists.
If you have a cell telephone, go to this Federal Trade Commission website
www.ftc.gov/donotcall/ and register your number. This should reduce the number of junk
calls you may get.
To get off the mailing lists for credit card offers of companies buying your information
from the major credit reporting agencies, and junk mail generated by your state’s
motor vehicle department distribution of your mailing address, go to the Federal Trade
Commission website at www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/alerts/optoutalrt.htm and follow the
instructions they provide.
Alicia at the Petrified National Forest in
Arizona
Call your credit card company and give them your new mail forwarding
address. Ask them to put you on a no-solicitation list to eliminate all those pesky credit
card offerings from your own credit card company. Keep in mind that you are going to have
to pay to have your mail delivered to you. If it consists of advertising, you have to pay
for junk mail to be delivered to you. Now that’s adding injury to insult.
If you have a cell phone, get them to charge the billing to your credit card or as a draft
on your checking account. That way you will not have your service canceled because your
payment was late in arriving. Same thing for any other recurring billings such as
insurance, if the company will let you. Just don’t forget to record the bank account
drafts. If you have access to online banking, you may be able to utilize a free bill
paying service that automatically pays your bills at a predetermined time. Should you not
have this service available, simply try and have recurring billings charged to your credit
card.
You are going to want to maintain checking and savings accounts. If you don’t already
have an ATM or bank debit card, now is the time to get one. Give your bank your new mail
forwarding address and find out what their policies are for receiving deposits from you
through remote ATM machines (deposits through an ATM are usually limited to the ATMs’
in your state), or through the mail.
Our experience with online banking has been great. Simply log onto your bank from your
Internet connection, view or download your transactions, make transfers and manage your
account from wherever you may be. Technology is great.
Elk at a mineral deposit in Yellowstone National Park
If you are going to be working for an extended period of time in one
location, you may be able to get direct deposit for your payroll check. We have mailed
deposits to our bank for years without any problem.
If you have any final utility billings, such as telephone, electricity or water, contact
them and give them your new mail forwarding address. Ditto for auto, life, health and
other services.
Contact any relatives or friends and give them your new address. Don’t forget to have
your employer to send your W-2 to your new address. Give all your investment accounts your
new address. Then, for the final junk mail killer…
Hit the road without leaving a forwarding address with the post office. Yes, your
heard me correctly. All that garbage mail will either be trashed or returned to sender
with no place for it to go. Otherwise, your junk mail may follow you for years and you
will have to pay for every ounce that is delivered to you, and those ounces add up very
quickly, and will be very expensive. If you have done your work properly, you will get all
of your important mail economically and avoid the junk.
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