When you start understanding 9 digit zip codes, you will notice that they are basically like the standard five digit zip code, with an extra four added after a hyphen. This is because those extra four digits tell the postal offices a little bit more about the exact delivery area for that mail. Interestingly, very few people know how to find their own 9 digit zip code.
Understanding 9 Digit Zip Codes:
Understanding 9 digit zip codes means understanding the final four digits. This, in turn, means understanding the concept of ZIP (zone improvement plan) codes themselves. They were developed by the USPS (US Postal Service), who wanted to simplify the work of their delivery people and speed up the delivery of mail. This system had to be expanded upon as the country become more populated, and that is why the +4 digits had to be added.
Understanding the 5 Digit Zip Code:
Imagine mailing a letter from Seattle to Boston. The Washington mail carrier doesn’t really care where in Boston the letter has to end up. They just want to know which carrier needs it. Postal workers, meanwhile, need to have a far more precise destination to go to, as everybody has to receive their mail, but they can only cover a specific area per day.
Usually, a zip code refers to a specific post office. They do not refer to any kind of boundary, however, but rather to delivery routes. This is irrespective of geographical or administrative issues. They simply go where they are taken!
Some are different, however, particularly the military zip codes. There are also some unique codes, which are provided to specific businesses, regardless of the geographical location in which they are. Although those codes don’t follow the exact rules, they do still mean the same thing: a specific geographical area.
Back to 9 digit zip codes, when you use them, you make sure that your mailing delivery is as accurate and fast as possible. This is because they identify not just a specific geographical area, but even the specific route. This means that it shows the path that the delivery truck would actually follow when they conduct their drop off. Generally, the nine digit code addition links to just 10 or 20 homes, as well as PO boxes to make it easier.
Benefits of Using 9 Digit Zip Codes:
There are a number of clear benefits to offering these types of zip codes, including:
- They require validation, meaning that it guarantees you whether or not a house is real.
- They can enable businesses to get discounts for bulk mailings.
- They significantly speed up delivery, sometimes by two whole days.
People are resistant to change, and they are resistant to the idea that the good old fashioned five digit zip code is now suddenly a nine digit one. That being said, nobody is forcing people to use it. However, if you do use it, or if you ask people to use it for you, then your mail will arrive at its destination much more quickly.
