In this guide, you are going to learn about what a Disposable Email Address (DEA) is and why you’ll need one. Suffice it to say, a site asks you for your email address, but you don’t entirely trust it. So what do you do? Well, in such as case, a Disposable Email Address (DEA) might be the answer that you’ll be needing.
Many websites you visit want you to sign up to read content, comment, or download research. But once you share your email address with such a website, your inbox is often flooded with promotional emails. A disposable email address can help you keep your inbox clean, so you don’t miss any important messages.
What Is A Disposable Email Address (DEA)?
A Disposable Email Address (DEA) is a temporary email address that expires after a set period of time, or one which you can delete whenever you like.
Like any regular email service, a disposable email address allows you to click a link sent for email verification to check the legitimacy of the email address. That means you can use a disposable email address to comment or access premium content of any website that requires you to sign up. And your primary email address will still be clean, organized, and free from spam!
Disposable email addresses are also known as temporary, trash, and throwaway email addresses.
Types of Disposable Email Address Accounts
Knowing the different types of temporary addresses will help you pick the best disposable email services to meet your needs.
Here are three main types of disposable email addresses to choose from.
1. Throwaway Email Address
As the name suggests, throwaway email addresses are deleted after a while, making them ideal for one-time usage.
You can use a throwaway email address on websites, blogs, and forums, which require users to sign up first to access the content.
Some public Wi-Fi owners also ask users to share their email address to use the internet. Creating throwaway emails to access public Wi-Fi can free up your primary email account from many marketing emails.
2. Forwarding Email Address
A forwarding email address will send emails to your primary email address. You can use a forwarding email service whenever you want to access websites that require a signup.
You can then delete the forwarding address later if you start receiving promotional emails from those websites.
3. Alias Email Address
Most email service providers, such as Gmail and Outlook, allow users to connect more email accounts to their primary email accounts.
You can create an alias email account then connect it with your primary email account. Whenever your alias email account receives an email, it will be displayed in your primary email account.
To enhance your privacy, create an alias email account with details different from your primary email account. You could use a random name, the wrong DOB, and a fake mobile number to set up an alias email account.
Use this alias account on all online services where you don’t want to share your primary email address. Once the alias email account gets flooded with promotional emails, delete the account and create another.
Why You Should Use a Disposable Email Address
Here are the key benefits of using disposable email services.
1. Clean Inbox
Everyone has an inbox crowded with unsolicited messages. And a mountain of unwanted spam messages often makes us miss important emails that require our immediate attention.
As a temp or disposable address allows you to register on almost all websites without getting unwanted emails piling up, it can keep your personal inbox clean. You might even hit inbox zero!
2. Improved Email Security
Most websites want your email address these days, so they can send you promotional content, deals, discounts, etc. But how can you be sure that websites follow the best security practices to keep their data safe?
What’s more, you don’t read the privacy policies of all the sites you sign up for.
Many websites rent or sell their email lists to other businesses. So you don’t have any idea of where your personal address will end up in the future after you share it on websites you register with.
Using a disposable or a temp mail address to register on websites, blogs, and forums keep your real one hidden from hackers’ eyes, thereby improving email security.
3. Freedom to Sign Up to Many Websites
Online stores offering loyalty points, deals, and discounts are great, but registering on them all will make your inbox overload with promotional messages.
Using a disposable email address gives you the freedom to register on any random online store, loyalty point website, or other site without receiving a barrage of spam in your personal inbox.
4. Enhanced Privacy
A disposable email address adds a layer of security between you and the websites you sign up for. So if you want to improve your online privacy, using an anonymous, disposal address can help you achieve that.
With a disposable email, you can interact with websites and apps, and engage in online forums without revealing your true identity. And if your data is ever compromised, your primary email will be protected.
How to Pick the Best Disposable Email Service Provider
Here are a few tips to help you choose the right disposable email service provider:
- Look for a disposable email service that is completely anonymous; a burner address shouldn’t be related to you in any way.
- Find a solution that is intuitive. You wouldn’t like to spend hours trying to figure out the process of creating a temporary email address.
- Search for a solution that can offer you temporary storage for incoming messages.
- Hunt for a disposable mail service provider that allows you to generate an address without asking you to provide any identifiable information
Last but not least, you should opt for a disposable email service that offers you a secure service, so look at reviews and check which providers have been compromised in the past.
Drawbacks of Using a Disposable Email Address
A disposable email address offers many benefits, but is not suitable everywhere.
Here are a few shortcomings of a disposable email address:
- You cannot use a disposable email address when you need to reset your password, as the address may be deleted after a specific time.
- Multiple users often have access to the same pool of temporary email addresses, meaning anyone can read anyone else’s messages.
- Some sites block disposable email providers’ domain names. In such a situation, you cannot use a temporary email address from that domain to sign up for those websites.
Use a Disposable Email Address to Clean Your Primary Inbox
You don’t want to share your home address with everyone you meet. So why should you share your personal email address with every website you visit?
Use a disposable address to keep your primary inbox clean and organized. Additionally, you should follow the best email security practices to protect your email from cybercriminals.
