What is an ID-free address? Mail without your suite number

Our pricing table lists "ID free address" as a feature of the Flexi Freedom plan and the Parcel Forwarding plan. The name causes confusion, because "ID" sounds like identity documents. It has nothing to do with those. The "ID" is your User ID, the suite number in your HotSnail address, and "ID-free" simply means your mail can leave that number out and still reach you.

This page explains what the suite number is for, what changes on an ID-free plan, what does not change, and how to decide whether you need it.

The "ID" in an ID-free address is your User ID

Every HotSnail account has a User ID. It goes into your address as a suite number, and it is how we tell whose mail is whose when it arrives. There is one User ID per account. Don't confuse it with a Mail ID: each item you receive has its own Mail ID, which we use to track that item, and nobody needs to write it on anything. A standard HotSnail address on our Gold Coast PO Box looks like this:

If you have requested our Gold Coast street address (available from your account after signup, at no extra cost), the suite number goes on the street line instead:

We do not publish the street address. You will see it in your account once you have requested it. "12345" above is only an example; your own User ID is shown when you sign up and in your account.

What an ID-free address means

On an ID-free plan, mail addressed to your name at our address, without the suite line, is still matched to your account at no extra charge. So this works:

That is the whole feature. It changes how mail can be addressed to you, nothing else.

What happens on plans that are not ID-free

On the Pay As You Go and Light plans, the suite number should be on every item. If something arrives without it, staff have to search for the owner by name. The item still gets to you, but a $4 search fee may be charged to your account. Including the suite number avoids the fee entirely. The current fee is listed under the table on the pricing page.

An ID-free address does not skip the identity check

This is the part people most often get wrong. Every HotSnail account, on every plan, has to complete an identity check before we action any mail. You upload photo ID once when you sign up, and nothing is opened, scanned, forwarded or shredded until that check is done.

An ID-free plan does not change this. Australian mail-handling services need to know whose mail they are receiving, and we apply the same check to everyone. "ID-free" only refers to the suite number on the envelope.

When an ID-free address is useful

• Senders that drop the suite line. Some organisations hold your address in an old system that only has room for a couple of lines, and the suite number is the first thing to go.
• Lots of different senders. If you receive mail from many people and businesses, there are more chances that one of them leaves the code off. ID-free means those items cost nothing extra to match.
• Parcels from online shops. Retailer checkout forms and courier labels sometimes shorten or reorder address lines.
• Mail from friends and family. People writing a card by hand often forget a suite number.

A common reason people look for an ID-free plan is a website form that seems to reject the suite line. That is usually an address autocomplete, which only offers addresses from its own list. Look for an option such as "Enter address manually", usually at the bottom of the suggestions, and type the full address including the suite number. You do not need to change plans to fix that.

Tips if you use an ID-free address

• Keep using your suite number where you can. It is still the surest way to match an item to you, especially if you share a common name. ID-free is a safety net, not a replacement.
• Use the name on your account. Without a suite number we match on the name, so it needs to be you or a name you have added to your account.
• Add other names that receive mail with you. Partners, family members or a business name can be added in your account settings, so items addressed to them are matched too.

Which HotSnail plans include an ID-free address

• Flexi Freedom: ID-free, along with lower per-item prices and free shredding.
• Parcel Forwarding: ID-free.
• Pay As You Go and Light: not ID-free. Include your suite number to avoid the search fee.

You can change plans from your account settings after you sign up. Prices for each plan are on the pricing page. If you want to see how plan choice affects your yearly cost, our guide to what mail forwarding costs in Australia works through examples, and the virtual mailbox setup guide covers how to give your new address to senders. For how the PO Box itself works, see our virtual PO box guide.

Summary

An ID-free address lets mail reach you without the suite number on it. It is included on the Flexi Freedom and Parcel Forwarding plans. It does not remove the identity check, which every account completes before mail is actioned. On other plans, mail without the suite number still reaches you, but a search fee may apply.