Block Out Zip Code Document For Free

ZIP code.Often you have to provide a ZIP code when you use a credit card at an untended machine, such as a gasoline pump. (Making you key it in serves as an added security measure to foil a thief who doesn't know the numbers.) But it's usually unnecessary at brick-and-mortar stores, so just say no.

When looking at postal codes around the world, there are cases where two different cities are served by the same postal code. For example, the zip code 94608 in California is used for both Emeryville and parts of Oakland. One postal code, two cities.

Canadian ZIP codes use an alphanumerical format with six characters in the format A1A 1A1 with the first character denoting the province of the address. The second character is a district within that province. The third character is a letter representing the postal zone of the province.

Don't provide your zip code at the register. "You go to a gas pump, the way it verifies your identity if by asking what's your zip code. If you're talking about a merchant or clerk, that's not a part of the credit card processing methodology," says Foley.

ZIP Codes2122 are an integral part of making sure the mailpiece is processed quickly and efficiently. Not having a ZIP Code2122 on your mail causes unnecessary delays because it will require manual handling.

That five-digit zip code is one of the key items data brokers use to link a wealth of public records to what you buy. They can figure out whether you're getting married (or divorced), selling your home, smoke cigarettes, sending a kid off to college or about to have one.

A postal code contains six alphanumeric characters in the form A1A 1A1 where A is a alphabetic character and 1 is a numeric character. The first three alphanumeric characters of a postal code contain the Forward Sortation Area (FSA) and the next three alphanumeric characters contain the Local Delivery Unit (LDU).

The first digit in a ZIP code represents a defined group of U.S. states. The second and third digits represent a region in that group, such as a large city. To send mail, only the first five digits of the ZIP code are required.

Disclosing ZIP codes allows "people to track their purchases. It creates a profile and that information can be shared with other companies and that's dangerous to have that information in one area," says lawyer Gene J. Stonebarger, whose lawsuit triggered the ruling.

(Making you key it in serves as an added security measure to foil a thief who doesn't know the numbers.) But it's usually unnecessary at brick-and-mortar stores, so just say no. And your ZIP code certainly shouldn't be posted on social media or other public websites.