Quick & Easy Guide to Faxing at UPS, and the Best Alternative

It’s also huge in the legal industry and finance, where many businesses rely on faxes. Anything from moving house to looking at your retirement options, and other key moments in your life might still involve faxing.

There’s a high chance that you don’t own one – especially if you’re reading this! This is why you need a reliable and convenient location to send and receive faxes, and you need to know what your options are.

There’s also a high chance that you have a nearby accessible fax machine – because there are over 5,500 UPS stores in the United States, most of which have UPS store fax services. If you don’t have a fax machine but need to access faxing services, the UPS store is an option – and there are other alternatives too!

How To Send A Fax at UPS

Here’s your easy guide to faxing at the UPS store:

1. Locate your store. To get started, go to the UPS store locator page, and search in your area for your local store. Each store has a ‘View Local Page’ option you can select to view the store’s specific facilities.

2. Check your store has faxing services. Select your local UPS store, and check to make sure that under the ‘Additional Services’ section, that your store has ‘Faxing & Scanning’ listed as one of its services.
3. Consider making an appointment. You might then want to make an appointment with your store. You don’t need to make an appointment, but it might help reduce any waiting time, if someone is already faxing when you arrive. Click ‘Schedule Appointment’ on your local store page to do this.
4. Get your documents and details ready. You will need to bring in physical copies of whatever you need to fax, so that the machines can scan them – you may want to keep a binder of important documents to scan at the UPS store, so that it’s all in one place. If you’re faxing a cover letter and don’t have one to hand, then that’s something the UPS store can provide! You should also confirm the fax number you are sending to, and document it somewhere. You will also need to bring payment – we’ll talk about the costs below.
5. Arrive at the UPS store and send your fax. The UPS staff will be happy to help you. Some stores have self-service fax machine faxing, but many stores will have their machines behind the counter, which the employee will operate for you, sending your faxes at a reliable establishment. If you need a document scanned at the UPS, the staff can help.
6. Wait for confirmation. This part can take a while! Faxing takes time – most machines will need to scan all of the pages before dialling the fax number and beginning to send the fax. Once a connection is made, the average time is around 30 seconds per page to send, although a fax machine can sometimes take even longer. This means a 30-page fax will take around 15 minutes. The staff will give you a confirmation note once the fax has sent.
7. Receiving a fax? The UPS store can also receive faxes on your behalf. Speak to the staff if you need this service. If your contacts are faxing the UPS store, the store can keep your faxes until you arrive.

Common Alternatives to the UPS Store

Did you know that there are other common places where you can send or receive faxes? Here are a few other alternatives where you can find faxing and scanning services:

• Other Shipping Stores – Most post offices and shipping stores offer this, such as USPS and FedEx.

• Local Libraries – It’s common for libraries to have machines available to use, but this is not guaranteed and it can be harder to find information online.

• Office Supply Stores – Businesses such as Office Depot and Staples offer fax services to the public. The process will be similar to the UPS store, however prices can vary.

The Best Alternative to the UPS Store

If you’re looking for a faster, more convenient and cheaper way to send faxes, make faxing & scanning easy by downloading the FAX From iPhone App. Faxing is going digital – people still need to fax for a variety of reasons, and the most convenient way to do that now is from your iPhone. Municorn’s app is the best faxing app on the market – with over 300,000 reviews and a 4.8/5 score, it’s the digital equivalent to the UPS store – but much easier and quicker to use.

Fax machines are preferred to emails by many business because they are more secure – and Municorn’s app brings that security to your iPhone, with HIPAA compliant administrative, technical and physical safeguards that keep your faxes compliant to the highest government standard.

Want to Skip the UPS Store? How to Use The Best Faxing App

1. Download the app. You’ll find a simple, easy to follow user interface which will guide you to sending your fax.
2. Scan your documents and type in the details. Scan as many pages as you like – the app will then store your documents for digital safekeeping as you prepare your cover letter and type in the fax number, all in the app.
3. Check the details, and hit send. You’ve just sent your fax – the app will let you know once the fax has been delivered, just like a real life machine – only there’s no waiting in line at the UPS!

Advantages and Disadvantages of the UPS Store

If you’re unsure on which method to choose, here’s a good summary of what option might be the best for you – visiting a physical UPS or other store, or using Municorn’s FAX From iPhone.

How Much Does It Cost?

The cost of sending a fax at the UPS, or a similar store, can depend on a few things.

• Number of Pages – How many pages you’re sending will have a significant impact on price, since they charge per page. This is fine if it’s only one or two documents. But you might be faxing more than that, and you also might not know what to send! For example, the last time I moved house, my real estate agent needed a lot of documents, and thanks to my FAX From iPhone subscription (which allows unlimited faxing), I just sent her everything I had and told her to pick out what she needed. UPS employees usually even have a policy of warning a customer when they are over 20 pages – because the cost will be so high!

• Distance – Local numbers to you are cheaper, national is more expensive, and international is much more expensive. This depends on the store, but a typical 10 page fax can build up to a huge cost if you’re not careful.

It’s also important to remember that UPS and other stores can have slightly different prices for each store, city, or region, so we’ve taken an average for each. In fact, some of these stores don’t even show their prices because they change so often – so you don’t always know what you’re going to be charged!

We’ve looked at the different prices each store might charge, and also Municorn’s FAX From iPhone app, which offers different subscriptions to suit you, from weekly, monthly, or annual packages. The best package breaks down to around $9.99 per week of unlimited, global faxing, and there are flexible options to suit everyone which you can cancel at anytime – however often you need to fax!

Let’s break it all down below.

How Much Does it Cost to Fax at UPS Comparative Table

As you can see, for sending an average fax, even on the cheapest local price option, a faxing app will usually be the best price.

You Are Ready To Fax!

You’ve now got all the information you need to start faxing today, so head down to your local UPS, or download the app to get started!