Here are seven tips for staying organized while changing your address across all your accounts online so you don’t forget anything, lose packages, or miss important mail. Free printable checklist included at the bottom!
One of the most stressful parts about moving to a new home comes after the move—changing your address. We have our address plugged into so many different places, and trying to keep up with all the forms, online accounts, and subscriptions is enough to make your head spin. And just when you think you’ve hit them all, you get an email saying a package you ordered was undeliverable—or worse, delivered to your old house.
If you’ve been there, done that, here are my top tips for staying organized while changing your address. I also made you a printable checklist you can snag at the bottom of this post so you don’t forget a thing.
1. Fill Out A Postal Service Change Of Address Form 2 Weeks In Advance
I know, I know, you’re trying to pack boxes and deal with realtors and a million other things. But it takes a little bit for mail forwarding to take effect, so it’s best to get this done early. You can take care of this online or at your local post office, just know that there is a small fee to do it online.
Select your move-in date for the day your mail begins to forward, and if that date changes, be sure to have the postal service put a hold on deliveries. And remember that mail forwarding only lasts for twelve months, so make sure everything gets changed before then. Also, some packages will not forward (such as Amazon) so use the checklist at the bottom of this post to change your address everywhere as soon as possible.
2. Update Your Cell Phone Autofill
When you first set up a new cell phone, you usually add your address and phone number to your account information, and it uses it to “autofill” online forms. Sometimes we get in a mindless habit of just tapping Autofill and forget that it has the wrong address after a move, and it’s a hassle to contact the company after a purchase to get them to change the shipping address.
Go into your Apple iCloud for iPhone or Google account for Android and update your address as soon as you move to avoid accidental autofill mistakes. If your laptop, tablet, or desktop computer has a different account and is not paired with your cell phone, make sure you update those too.
3. Add Your New Address To UPS & FedEx Accounts, But Keep The Old One For A Little While Too
If you have a UPS and FedEx account that texts or emails you updates on package deliveries, make sure you go into your profile to add your new address so you’ll receive updates on future arrivals. But don’t delete that old address from your profile just yet. By leaving it there as a secondary for a month or so, you will be able to track and intercept any packages that accidentally get sent to your old address.
Don’t worry about getting notifications for the new owners of your old house, you won’t receive them because their names aren’t listed on your account. You’ll only get a message if a package with your name (or another family member you have on your profile) is being delivered to that address.
Related Post: 5 Tips For Organizing A New Home
4. Change PayPal Address ASAP
When you check out with PayPal Express (a service a lot of online retailers use for faster checkout) you usually aren’t asked to verify your shipping address. You basically just complete the purchase in one single click. Getting a hold of PayPal to change your delivery address after a purchase is typically a pain, and usually results in the order being cancelled and you having to re-buy. Save yourself the trouble by changing it ASAP.
The same goes for Amazon, Walmart, Target, and Ebay to name a few. These major shopping sites are set up for fast and easy purchasing, so you skip the shipping part of checkout and it automatically uses the primary address in your account. (Side note, if you catch it fast enough, Amazon will let you change the address, but it has to be before the seller processes the order which could be five to ten minutes after your purchase.)
PS: Here’s My Amazon List For My Favorite Moving Supplies
5. Prioritize Updating Banking Info
Some banks will allow you to call or go to your online account to change your address, but most require you to physically come into a branch and present two pieces of mail to verify your new home. Sure, this is annoying, but it really is for your safety. Those extra steps are what cause us to procrastinate on financial institution address changes, but it definitely should be a priority. Here’s why…
You know when you buy something online and have to type in your shipping address, then they ask for your billing address afterward? Most of the time there is a box you can check that says “same as shipping” to save you time and lessen the possibility of a typing error. But if you haven’t changed your address at the bank, you have to type the old one instead. And if you forget, you risk your card getting declined or even temporarily suspended due to suspected fraudulent activity.
6. Start With Most-Frequently Used Services And Work Your Way Down
Once the five tasks above are complete, you can start going through the process of changing your address for all your other accounts, subscriptions, services, and memberships. It’s best to start with the ones you use most often and work your way down to the ones you use least often.
A trick for figuring this out is just to look at your email inbox. What are the last few receipts or confirmations you received? Which companies have you received auto-pay reminders from recently? These are likely the ones you order from most often.
7. Use A Checklist & Do A Little At A Time
Moving Brain has to be a real thing, right?? I’m pretty sure we forget half of what happens the first few weeks after a move and our brain is just a foggy mess of us standing in the middle of a room with our hands on hips not knowing which box to unpack next. I’ve been there more times than I want to admit, so I made you a checklist with the most general collection of places you’ll need to update your address.
My advice is to work through the list a little at time. In the evening while you’re watching a show and winding down or during your lunch break at work, pick a few items on the list and log into your account online to make the switch. It doesn’t take long, and this gives you the opportunity to re-evaluate your subscriptions and update passwords if needed.
Download the free Change Of Address Checklist below, and either print it out or save it to your phone to use the Markup feature digitally. Bonus points if you can divide the list with your partner to save time and tag team it! Let me know in the comments your own tips for changing addresses after a move; I’d love to hear them!
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