Use
Mailsort is not widely known to the British public and the code is not written as part of the address; rather it appears elsewhere on the envelope or label. Although the majority of people in the UK use the postcode, the mailsort code is now used for automated sorting.
As the system is only used by a closed group of Royal Mail customers the scheme can be entirely re-coded from time to time (every 18–24 months). The last such update occurred in September 2010.
Unlike posting by ordinary mail it is possible to specify service levels other than 1st or 2nd class with longer delivery times offered. Four Mailsort products are available – known as 70, 120, 700 and 1400 – each based on the customer's ability to sort into increasingly smaller geographical areas. A further Walksort product is available to those who wish to post to many of the addresses in an area and who can present mail sorted first by mailsort code and then by walk number (the second half of the postcode).
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