Snail mail penpals

Love writing real letters? Global Penfriends has been helping snail mail penpals swap letters, postcards and parcels across the world for 30+ years — and your postal address is never shown on your profile.

1 million+ members · 195+ countries · 30+ years connecting penpals

Join free 3 ways to swap addresses

What is a snail mail address?

It’s simply your postal address — the address a letter is posted to, written just as it would appear on an envelope: your name, then street, town and postcode, then country. “Snail mail” is the friendly name for letters sent through the post, because they take a little longer than a message.

On Global Penfriends your address is private. It is never shown on your profile, and it is only shared in the ways below.

3 safe ways to get snail mail penpals

  1. 1Share it in a conversation — free for everyone. Write to a penpal and get to know each other a little. Once you have each written at least twice, use the Address button in the message box to offer your address — it stays hidden until your penpal accepts. While you are still building trust you can swap with 2 new penpals a month (8 with Premium); once trust is established there is no limit.
  2. 2Receive surprise mail — free. Save your address on the My postal address page and tick “Also let me receive surprise mail”. Members with snail mail credits can then add your address and write to you without asking first — but only if they fit the age and gender preferences on your profile. Untick the box any time to stop.
  3. 3Use snail mail credits — an add-on. Credits come in packs of 10. One credit adds the address of a member who has opted in to surprise mail to your Snail Mail Contacts, so you can start writing straight away without waiting for a reply. A credit can also unlock an extra address swap once your monthly allowance is used. Credits are separate from Premium.
See the full guide to swapping postal addresses →
Never type your address into a message. Until trust is built, typed contact details — postal addresses included — are removed and may lead to a warning. Always use the Address button instead.

Tips for snail mail penpals

Who writes first?It’s good penpal etiquette for whoever started the conversation to post the first letter.
Log your postTell your penpal a letter is on its way, and mark it received when it arrives. How it works
Help it arriveSimple checks that get your letters to the right place. Read the tips
Join a Travel RingSend a journal or letters around a small group of penpals in different countries. What are Travel Rings?

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