Recorded delivery, Signed For or Special Delivery: which to use

This guide covers Royal Mail in the UK. If you are mailing a letter in the United States, read Certified Mail for cancellations instead, which covers what the USPS mailing receipt, tracking and Return Receipt each prove.

If you are writing to a UK company to cancel a gym, a phone contract or a streaming plan, you want two things: proof you sent the letter, and proof it arrived. The service many people still search for as recorded delivery is sold today as Royal Mail Signed For. Special Delivery Guaranteed is the faster, higher-cover option above it. An ordinary letter carries no signature on delivery.

Companies such as PureGym, JD Gym and Sky each show a UK postal address on their company page, and the gym cancellation guides cover the rest. Royal Mail says its Signed services "offer proof of delivery and up to £20 compensation", and that the recipient's name and confirmation of delivery can be viewed online.

Signed For 1st Class gives online delivery confirmation and a signature on delivery, and aims to deliver the next working day. Signed For 2nd Class has the same signature and aims for two to three working days. Telecom and broadband providers such as TalkTalk, and the telecom cancellation guides, are typical recipients of a notice letter, and a cinema chain such as Cineworld or Odeon Limitless is another.

Royal Mail says compensation is limited: "Every Signed For 1st Class item is covered against loss or damage up to £20 or the value of the item, whichever is lower." Valuables are excluded: money and jewellery are not covered on this service, and Royal Mail points to Special Delivery Guaranteed for those. For a letter of paper, that is not a concern.

Royal Mail prices change. These are the figures printed on its pages on 30 October 2026, and its price guide is valid from 5 October 2026. Check the current price before you post.

Special Delivery Guaranteed by 1pm means delivery by 1pm the next day "or your money back", with full tracking, photo and signature on delivery, and cover up to £750. It suits a time-critical deadline, such as the last day of a notice period, where one day matters.

For next-day delivery by 1pm, Royal Mail asks you to try to arrive at the Post Office at least an hour before it closes, and no later than 4.30pm even if the branch stays open later, or 11am at a branch with half-day closing. Allow time to get a certificate of posting.

Royal Mail's help centre says: "When you hand over your letter or parcel for posting, you can request a free 'proof of posting' at a Collect+ store or Post Office." This shows the date you posted. If you use a postbox instead, the Royal Mail app can issue a free digital proof of posting for eligible services, including Signed For and 1st and 2nd Class, once the item has been scanned at the mail centre. Once you have it, it "acts in the same way as a proof of posting or stamped certificate of posting received in a Post Office branch". Special Delivery items must be handed in at a Post Office branch or a Royal Mail Customer Service Point.

1. 1

   Hand the letter over at the counter

   Royal Mail says to request the proof of posting when you hand the item over.

2. 2

   Ask for a proof of posting

   It is free. Check that the date is on it before you leave.

3. 3

   Keep it with a copy of the letter

   Keep the copy, the proof of posting and the tracking reference together.

Proof matters most in a cooling-off period, where timing decides everything. Our guide to the 14-day cooling-off period in the UK covers when it starts and ends. The rule on proof is in the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013.

So sending in time is enough, but you must be able to show you did. A proof of posting does that. The Competition and Markets Authority's guidance on unfair contract terms also says a formality is disproportionate when it involves "a requirement to use registered post for written notification when notification by ordinary post or email would be adequate" (CMA37, paragraph 6.36). Proof of sending still protects you whichever service you pick.

1. 1

   Copy the letter

   Photograph or photocopy the signed letter, with the date on it.

2. 2

   Choose Signed For

   Signed For 1st Class suits most notices. Pick Special Delivery only when a deadline falls tomorrow.

3. 3

   Get a proof of posting

   Ask for it at the counter, or use the Royal Mail app.

4. 4

   Keep the tracking reference

   Follow the item on Royal Mail's tracking page until it shows delivered.

5. 5

   Save the delivery confirmation

   The recipient's name and confirmation of delivery show online. Save a copy with your letter.

Postbye prints the cancellation letter and posts it by Royal Mail to the company's UK address, with a Royal Mail Signed For option for a signature on delivery. The how it works page shows each step. If the cancellation is for a payment, read how to cancel a Direct Debit too, because stopping the payment does not end the contract.