The service means that for a $15 entry fee and $15.25 weekly charge, customers can receive their mail wherever they are, while away from their usual mailbox for extended periods.

Previously only available through post offices, the service means the Postal Service will hold a customer’s mail, repackage it and ship it to the temporary address by Priority Mail.

Customers can sign up for time spans as short as two weeks, or up to a full year-long period. On the service, most mail is bundled up and sent to the requested temporary address each Wednesday on the USPS two-to-three day delivery service. Express Mail is automatically rerouted directly, while Priority Mail items are either shipped directly or included within the weekly bundle.

First-Class Mail packages that don’t fit in the weekly shipment are rerouted separately at no extra cost, USPS said.

Allowing customers to enroll, update or cancel the Premium Forwarding Service through the website made using the service quick and easy, the Postal Service said.

Kelly Sigmon, the vice president of Channel Access at USPS, said: “Premium Forwarding Service makes your mail a priority even when you’re away fro home, and now that it’s available at usps.com, it’s easier to use than ever before. Even while on the go, your mail can go with you.”

USPS has been building up the facilities on its website since giving it a new look last year. The website is a major component of the Postal Service’s strategy to improve customer access to postal services in the digital age.

The new Premium Forwarding Service comes alongside three other recent improvements to the website, in the form of a new online postal store, a new personalised stamped envelope service and new Spanish or Chinese language versions of the website.

One of the most frequently visited US federal government websites, usps.com had more than 413m visits in 2011, averaging more than 1.3m visitors each day.

Source: Post&Parcel/USPS

Tags: USA, USPS, website