What Is Insured Mail?

Insured mail refers to a service that is offered by the postal service whereby any eligible mail will be insured and gain the benefits of items that are under an insurance coverage. Just like the name suggests, the insured mail simply serves to give the sender of the mail an extra sense of security regarding the safety of the mail. Also, this gives the sender peace of mind that he, she or the organization will not suffer a total loss in the event that something does happen to the package. As such, the purpose of insuring the mail is to make the person sending the package more confident regarding the transaction.

The exact amount for the coverage depends on the conditions specified in the insurance agreement, which the sender of the package must read in order to fully understand the conditions attached to the issuance of the insurance. For example, in the United States, the sender of the package has the option of choosing to include the charges for insurance, in addition to the basic pay for sending the package to its destination. When the post office customer does not choose to exercise this option the package will not be under any specific type of insurance coverage, and the sender of the mail or package may suffer loss in the case of any mishap that affects the package.

Customers must read the fine print in the terms of service in order to understand to what type of agreement they are acquiescing. This is because the insured mail is usually to a specified maximum amount, regardless of how much the article in the package may actually cost. Apart from this, not all types of objects or materials can benefit from an insured mail coverage. For example, overly fragile items are usually not covered under an insured mail coverage due to the fact that they are highly susceptible to damage regardless of due care. Another proviso to accepting a package under an insured mail coverage is that such a package must be properly packaged and wrapped to adequately lend itself to safe carriage.

Other considerations include the fact that in order for any mail to be subject to insured mail coverage it has to be sent from a proper postal location, such as a post office, as opposed to just sending the item through letter boxes or other locations. This will ensure that the mail is checked for compliance as well as properly registered. Another accepted method of sending an insured mail is to hand it over to a post office courier person.