# International Mail



## mrbobo (Dec 11, 2014)

On January 13th I received a Christmas card that was postmarked December 10th. I knew when I moved here that the international mail was going to be slow but never in my wildest dreams did I think it would be that slow. I was thinking maybe a couple of weeks. Granted I live in Nueva Vizcaya and maybe it took a little while to get the mail here from Manila but still 34 days seems a bit much. Maybe I should just be grateful that it made it here. Anyone out there have a similar experience? Is there a way to expedite mail to/from the US? Other than DHL, Fedex, etc.....


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## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

Anything like a card, especially Birthday cards can take longer as the postman needs to open it to check for any money inside. If they botch it the card will be destroyed. When I was writing to my wife we sat down before her embassy interveiw and went through all the letters we were going to present and I noted that all of them had had the lower panel removed and reglued


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## Tukaram (Dec 18, 2014)

I live in Iloilo, a fairly large city, and my mail regularly takes 6-8 weeks to arrive from the US.

We just got our Globe bill 2 days ago... 2 of them actually. One for Nov, and one for Dec... that said our Nov payment was past due. (we paid both before the bills arrived, but they did not know) ... but 2 on the same day? From Manila.


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## Asian Spirit (Mar 1, 2010)

mrbobo said:


> On January 13th I received a Christmas card that was postmarked December 10th. I knew when I moved here that the international mail was going to be slow but never in my wildest dreams did I think it would be that slow. I was thinking maybe a couple of weeks. Granted I live in Nueva Vizcaya and maybe it took a little while to get the mail here from Manila but still 34 days seems a bit much. Maybe I should just be grateful that it made it here. Anyone out there have a similar experience? Is there a way to expedite mail to/from the US? Other than DHL, Fedex, etc.....


You're not alone. Just received a Christmas card that was mailed from Dallas Texas on November 25. It arrived yesterday (Jan 21st)!! Happens all the time that way.

Several years ago, the post office in Manila go so far behind by an influx of holiday mail they they didn't know what to do with the mountains of it in their storage warehouse. They found a solution------they dumped all of it into Manila Bay close to the Pasig River.
So yes, we are luck to get it at all. Hahaha


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## HondaGuy (Aug 6, 2012)

I'm honestly surprised international mail is delivered at all.

Your best bet would be have someone batch mail everything to you once a month or so and send it DHL. Some UPS stores and the like offer this service.


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## jackstraw (Dec 28, 2014)

Last year, Mailed 5 cards from US to the Cavite area. None made it.


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## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

jackstraw said:


> Last year, Mailed 5 cards from US to the Cavite area. None made it.


Cards are the first letters to be checked for cash. It used to take 7 days for my letters to get to the Philippines and 14 days to get 1/2 mile down the lane from the post office. As I said earlier if it's too well stuck it will be binned. I once sent a cheap camera to my wife to be. I used signed for delivery to ensure it arrived. When I visited a few months later I asked the GF why she was using that cheap local camera. She said to me that she wondered why I had sent her a local camera. The biggest laugh was that the local camera was more expensive than the camera I had sent. lol.


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## George6020 (Apr 18, 2014)

I have a "Virtual Mail Box" with an address in California............all my US mail goes there, I can access thru internet 24/7.............get pages scanned, downloaded, forwarded by any means, archived or trashed............for $25.00 per month.

It has worked for me very well..................except for credit cards. I forward those to my sister in the states........then pick up when I visit there...........because I don't dare trust ANY carrier to deliver them here in the Philippines.


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## Manitoba (Jun 25, 2014)

George6020 said:


> ....
> It has worked for me very well..................except for credit cards. I forward those to my sister in the states........then pick up when I visit there...........because I don't dare trust ANY carrier to deliver them here in the Philippines.


I never had any credit cards shipped to Philippines but have shipped them other places.

All I do is not validate them until they are in my hands. ( In Canada at least you have to either go on line or call in to validate a credit card when they mail it to you before you can use it, I expect other counytries are the same.)

Until validated the card is just a hunk of plastic and cannot be used to charge your account. Once validated the card that it is replacing is canceled.


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## Tukaram (Dec 18, 2014)

George6020 said:


> I have a "Virtual Mail Box" with an address in California............all my US mail goes there, I can access thru internet 24/7.............get pages scanned, downloaded, forwarded by any means, archived or trashed............for $25.00 per month.
> 
> It has worked for me very well..................except for credit cards. I forward those to my sister in the states........then pick up when I visit there...........because I don't dare trust ANY carrier to deliver them here in the Philippines.


I use Traveling Mailbox. Sounds about the same. But I have already had 4 credit cards forwarded to the PI's. Also my new driver's license and voters ID. No problems yet.


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## HondaGuy (Aug 6, 2012)

Tukaram said:


> I use Traveling Mailbox. Sounds about the same. But I have already had 4 credit cards forwarded to the PI's. Also my new driver's license and voters ID. No problems yet.


Good to know. Who did Traveling Mailbox use to ship your credit cards and DL to the Philippines? DHL or Fedex or who?


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## expatuk2015 (Jan 12, 2015)

*My Parcel from UK arrived safely*

Just a little bit of Praise for Philpost ( yes Honestly ) we have a relative who works
for Philpost and when we asked him the best way for my son to send us a small parcel from the UK he told us the main problem with International Mail 
Is the Philippines Customs ! Apparently the Customs prioritise International Mail
according to if it is Business or Private of course Business comes first !
The Parcel had been opened and retaped had to pay an extra 100php on delivery( it was a solar Trickle Charger for our vans battery )
No Cash inside 
My son posted the Parcel on the 11th of Dec I allowed extra time because of the
Christmas period and it arrived on the 15th of Jan !lane:
Just over 4 weeks ! 
Private companies such as DHL-etc in the UK are far worse than philpost.
And Far more expensive !
Normally all our mail goes to our Post office box and we have no problems
so folks Its not always Philpost !


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## cvgtpc1 (Jul 28, 2012)

Manitoba said:


> Until validated the card is just a hunk of plastic and cannot be used to charge your account. Once validated the card that it is replacing is canceled.


Yeah it's the same in the US....and stupid me never even considered that.

Not to jinx myself I even send mail to a small town in Samar and it always makes it. Small packages also. Not quickly mind you but it makes it.


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## Tukaram (Dec 18, 2014)

HondaGuy said:


> Good to know. Who did Traveling Mailbox use to ship your credit cards and DL to the Philippines? DHL or Fedex or who?


Regular mail in the US and PhilPost. Slow... but always get it.


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## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

*Credit cards and checks*



Manitoba said:


> I never had any credit cards shipped to Philippines but have shipped them other places.
> 
> All I do is not validate them until they are in my hands. ( In Canada at least you have to either go on line or call in to validate a credit card when they mail it to you before you can use it, I expect other counytries are the same.)
> 
> Until validated the card is just a hunk of plastic and cannot be used to charge your account. Once validated the card that it is replacing is canceled.


I had my sister mail me my credit card and couple boxes of checks through USPS, made sure to have all the return receipts, sign for the works, it ends up costing around $40.

I wasn't worried about my credit cards because the process involved in actuating is lengthy and even if they do get the card it's not gonna work. Once I receive my credit card I call an online number and put in all my passwords and then actuate it.

Checks are another issue, I'm either going to have my account changed to a pension/retired deposit account or start printing my own checks...... they have software (I have software for this), you probably can download check printing software, mine is called "Check designer" from the internet and print out your own checks.


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