COVID-19 has taught us anything about the way we work, that the flexibility to work remotely is not just a perk. It is a necessity. This pandemic has forced us to work remotely or not work at all.
Today, four out of five U.S. workers say that they would not accept a job that doesn’t offer flexible working. Some workers dread their return to the office, while others dream of packing their bags and taking off.
But these visions of working from far-flung locales also stir up a unique question: what do we do about mail? And fortunately, a wave of “Virtual Mailboxes” has sprung up, offering a solution.
In this post, you’ll get to know what actually it is, how you can choose it, and a list of the best virtual mailboxes suitable for digital nomads and businesses.
What is a Virtual Mailbox Service?
As the name implies, virtual mailbox service is probably the best mail forwarding service that offers a permanent mailbox address and helps you collect other physical and postal mails. It allows your business to be located anywhere globally and receive mail in the desired business city or your hometown.
The service has several features like mail notification, scanning mail, opening, shredding, mail forwarding, disposing, and recycling services. Most virtual or online mailbox services also offer online viewing.
Usually, there are different plans to choose from, with a base monthly price with additional fees depending on your services and how much mail you receive.
Criteria for choosing a virtual mailbox service
You have to consider several factors before choosing a virtual mailbox service to collect your mail packages or to use a virtual business address to receive, view, and manage your mail online:
- If you require a physical address or P.O. Box in a particular city, ensure that the mailbox you choose offers an address there.
- If your bills come only in paper form, then you’ll want a scanning service, so you don’t miss a payment.
- If your clients pay you by check, you’ll want to get a service that offers check depositing.
- If receiving urgent packages is what you want, it would be essential to choose a service that offers a mail forwarding service.
- Some virtual mailbox services offer mail shredding services; choose them if you don’t want to keep junk mail.
To help you assess and identify the best virtual mailbox service for your specific scenario, start by listing all the must-have requirements for a mailbox service and go through the options, we list below.
The best virtual mailboxes for digital nomads and businesses
This is not the most reliable option to get a friend or family member number to open your mail for you. Why not choose any virtual mailbox available on the internet? Check out the well-known mailbox services below. It’ll help you choose the best virtual mailbox available in your particular case.
Anytime Mailbox
Anytime is one of the well-known virtual mailboxes that offer services in 904 locations across 21 different countries, including the United States, U.K., UAE, India, and China. Their pricing plan varies depending on the chosen location and services. They provide you with a real street address and let you choose features such as incoming mail forwarding, check deposit, mail scanning, and shredding.
Anytime Mailbox provides unlimited mail storage to their customers as long as their account is active. It is one of the most global virtual mailboxes for digital nomads.
| Pros | Cons |
· Provide services at 904 in 21 different countries. · Pricing plans are reasonable as compared to others. · User-friendly interface. · Anytime Mailbox apps work on both P.C. and Mac, Apple and Android, Smartphone and Tablet. | · The pricing is based on location. · No different rate plans are available. |
U.S. Global Mail
U.S. Global virtual mailbox offers individual and family plans for a month-to-month, 12 months, or 24-month period. Regardless of your account, it will provide you the scans of the outside of any envelopes received.
They will charge you extra for shipping, but the rates are pretty affordable. U.S. Global Mail only offers one address in Houston, Texas.
The services include virtual mailing addresses, virtual business addresses, and company expat mail.
| Pros | Cons |
· Provide you a permanent U.S. street address, no matter where you move. · Thirty days free package storage. · 180 days free letter storage. | · U.S. Global Mail works only for a permanent U.S. street address. |
VirtualPostMail
VirtualPostMail is a virtual mailbox service whose founder needed a mail solution to run a business remotely, and then he created it. So, the company completely understands the services that digital nomads and remote professionals need. They offer unlimited free mail in their starter plan with a different number of scans and recipients per month. You can also avail services like shipping and check deposits for a fee.
Any account will get a commercial address, a free registered agent, no setup and cancellation fees, and unlimited digital storage. But the number of addresses the company has is minimal.
| Pros | Cons |
· It provides you a real street address. · All couriers such as FedEx, UPS, and USPS accept it. · You never have to change your address. · Provide check deposit services. · You don’t have to pay for agent services. It’s free. · Email shredding is free. · Unlimited digital storage. · No setup and cancellation fees. | · It has a limited number of locations in Nevada, Delaware, and California. · VirtualPostMail has no phone App. |
Earth Class Mail
Earth Class Mail offers more than 80 premier U.S. addresses you can choose from. All of your mail will be received here and will be safely stored by the company’s HIPAA-certified professionals. You can download your mail, have it sent to someone else, have it recycled, or destroyed it. You can do all these activities easily through their website.
Another best thing about Earth Class Mail is that you can easily integrate with many useful apps such as Google Drive, Bill.com, and QuickBooks Online. Besides that, it also offers automated check deposit services.
| Pros | Cons |
· It offers over 90 addresses. · You can easily integrate with many useful apps. · It provides 30 days of free storage for mail and ten days of free storage for packages. | · It only works in the U.S. |
Wrapping Up
If you’re the one who is working remotely or a business that still needs a physical address to receive professional-related mails. In that case, a virtual mailbox can be the perfect solution for you.
These mailboxes not only provide a virtual address to receive mail and packages, but they can also end up becoming an extension to your virtual office. Virtual mailboxes offer all these services with the necessary measures to view and manage your mails.
