What is this feature?
Address verification automatically checks and validates every address against official postal databases like USPS and Canada Post. This process ensures your mail is sent to valid, deliverable addresses, reducing wasted postage and undelivered items.
Note: Address verification is only available in Live Mode. In Test Mode, all addresses will appear as "Verified" to allow you to test your workflows without actual validation.
How can I use it?
When you create or upload contacts in PostGrid, each address is automatically verified and assigned one of three statuses:
Verified: The address perfectly matches a deliverable record in the postal database. Mail sent to this address is highly likely to be delivered successfully.
Corrected: PostGrid found a close match and automatically standardized or adjusted parts of the address (such as abbreviations or formatting) to meet postal standards. The address is now considered deliverable.
Failed: PostGrid could not find an acceptable match in the postal database, or key parts of the address were missing or incorrect. Deliverability cannot be guaranteed for addresses with this status.
Where can I find the reason for the address failure?
To understand why an address failed verification:
Navigate to your Contacts list
Click on the contact with a "Failed" address status
Scroll down to the Raw Data section
Look for the
addressErrorsfield, which provides specific details about what caused the failure (e.g., "line1: Incorrect Value: Suite identifier")
What are the common Causes of Address Failure?
Addresses typically fail verification for these reasons:
Missing house numbers
Incorrectly formatted street names or suite/unit identifiers
Typographical errors in the street, city, or ZIP/postal code
Non-standard address formatting that the system cannot parse
Rural addresses where only the postal code can be validated, but specific street-level details are insufficient
How can I correct a failed address?
You cannot edit an existing contact to fix a failed address
To correct the address, you must create a new contact with the corrected address information
Use the details from the
addressErrorsfield to understand what needs to be adjustedOnce you create the new contact, address verification will run automatically and assign a new status
Can You Bypass Address Verification?
Bypassing address verification is technically possible but strongly not recommended. Here's why:
It requires an organization-level flag to be enabled by PostGrid support
Skipping verification significantly increases the risk of mail not being delivered
Mail vendors may reject orders with bad addresses
You may incur wasted costs and experience poor campaign performance
For the best results, always ensure your addresses pass verification before sending mail.