First, decide how long you need to receive email

One Coupon,
Two Ways to Receive Email

A disposable email address can receive a verification code if the merchant accepts the address and actually sends the email to it.

Receiving one verification code doesn’t mean an address is right for keeping an account. For a one-off task, a temporary inbox may be enough. If you’ll need to log in again, check orders or recover your account, choose an email setup you can keep using.

Compare the options Choose for your shopping needs

The same task · Claim a first-order coupon

Both give the merchant an address,
but email goes to different inboxes

Check the offer terms first: when the code will arrive, whether you need to place an order and whether you’ll need the member account afterward. Don’t wait for an address to expire only to find that shipping or refund updates were sent there too.

Temporary address, inbox on Mailtock

Best for tasks where you won’t need the account after verification

1
Get an address on the homepage
No need to log in to Mailtock or enter your regular email to use a temporary inbox. Your browser stores the credentials needed to access it.
2
Enter the temporary address on the merchant’s site
The merchant sends a verification code or coupon code to this address. They may reject temporary addresses, delay the email or not send one at all.
3
Read your email on Mailtock
Open the inbox on the homepage and complete verification while the address is active. If you need more time, each extension adds 3 hours, up to 24 hours per inbox.

Where you use your regular email: Not required for this process. Go to temporary inbox

Forwarding alias, email in your regular inbox

Best when you’ll need to log in again, receive order updates or keep your membership

1
Log in to Mailtock with your regular email
Your sign-in code is sent to your regular email. Once logged in, create an alias for the store. That same inbox will receive forwarded messages.
2
Enter the alias on the merchant’s site
The merchant sees the alias you provided. Use a different alias for each store to identify incoming mail and disable forwarding for one store at a time.
3
Read forwarded messages in your regular inbox
Mailtock processes messages sent to your alias and forwards them to your regular inbox. This isn’t a disposable inbox, so it doesn’t expire under the temporary address’s 3-hour rule.

Where you use your regular email: For sign-in verification and forwarded messages. Go to forwarding management

An alias only replaces the email address you give the merchant. It doesn’t hide your name, phone number, shipping address or payment details provided during checkout. Before claiming a coupon, check the sign-up checklist to decide whether the offer is worth sharing that information.

Compare them side by side

The difference isn’t whether you can receive email,
but what you’ll need it for later

Here’s how Mailtock’s two ways to receive email work. Both disposable inboxes and forwarding aliases can receive, but not send, email—you can’t use either address to reply to a merchant.

Two ways to receive email for the same shopping task
Feature	Temporary email	Forwarding alias
Sign-in required	No. Access messages with the temporary inbox credentials.	Sign in to Mailtock without a password using your regular email, then manage your aliases.
Where to read messages	In the inbox on the Mailtock homepage.	In your regular inbox; the dashboard keeps forwarded messages for 30 days.
How long it lasts	3 hours by default. Each extension adds 3 hours, up to 24 hours per inbox.	Not limited by temporary inbox expiration. Keep the alias active and the destination inbox available; subject to the terms of service.
Recovering an account later	Once the address expires, it can’t receive account recovery emails. Not suitable for accounts you need to keep.	An active alias can receive recovery emails, but delivery still depends on the merchant and successful forwarding. Delivery isn’t guaranteed.
How to stop receiving email	No merchant-specific pause control. Wait for the address to expire or use a new address to make the old inbox unusable.	Pause an individual alias in forwarding management. New messages received while it’s paused won’t be forwarded.
Best for	One-time verification, coupon codes you can use right away, and low-stakes short-term testing.	Member pricing, repeat purchases, shipping updates, refunds and accounts you’ll need to keep accessing.
Privacy considerations	No need to provide your regular email to receive temporary messages, but the service still has to process incoming email and access credentials.	The merchant sees the alias. The forwarding service must process incoming email and your destination address.

If you expect an email to arrive close to or more than 24 hours from now, don’t rely on repeated extensions. Check the expiration planner to estimate the timing. For follow-up emails expected the next day or later, choose an address you can keep using when you sign up.

Where promotional emails stop

Unsubscribe, pause or delete:
these are different actions

If you want to stop promotional emails, first distinguish between asking the merchant to stop sending them and stopping them from reaching your regular inbox. Pausing or deleting an alias doesn’t submit an unsubscribe request to the merchant.

Unsubscribe with the merchant

Unsubscribe from marketing in an email from a trusted merchant or in your account preferences. It may take time for the change to take effect, and order, security or service updates may still arrive.

This changes your subscription settings with the merchant.

Pause an alias

Disable the alias in Mailtock’s forwarding management. Messages received while it’s paused are discarded—not held for when you reactivate it. Verification codes and order updates are affected too.

Stops forwarding new messages for this alias.

Delete an alias

Deleting an alias removes its email forwarding setup, not your merchant account. Before deleting it, update the email address on any merchant account you still need. Don’t count on recreating the same alias later to recover an account.

For aliases you’re sure you no longer need.

Temporary address expires

When the address expires, it and its messages are deleted and can’t be recovered. This doesn’t close your merchant account or automatically unsubscribe you from marketing emails.

This ends the temporary inbox only.

Emails already forwarded remain in your regular inbox

Pausing or deleting an alias can’t remove messages that have already arrived. To clean up old promotional emails, search your regular inbox for the alias or merchant, then archive, delete or filter them yourself.

Decide before sharing your address

A verification code is just the start;
what comes next should determine your choice

The same six-digit verification code might be for a one-time check or an account you’ll use for years. Before choosing an address, think about what email you might need next.

One-time verification

Get the code, finish the task

For example, verifying access to a promotion you won’t use again and that doesn’t involve important personal information. A temporary inbox can do the job if the merchant accepts the address and sends the email promptly.

Before you sign up: Will the code arrive right away? Will the promotion require you to log in again later?
Recommended setup: Use a temporary inbox if you like, but don’t use it as the recovery email for an important account.

Use a temporary inbox

Waiting for a coupon code

Coupon codes may take time to arrive

Some stores send a welcome email first, then verify eligibility or issue a coupon later. “Subscription confirmed” doesn’t mean your coupon code is already queued to be sent.

Before you sign up: Check the offer details for when the code will be sent, eligibility requirements and how long the code remains valid.
Recommended setup: Use a temporary inbox only if you’re sure the email will arrive before it expires. If the timing is unclear or could exceed 24 hours, choose a forwarding alias.

Estimate how long you may need to wait

Orders and after-sales support

You’ll need email access after checkout, too

The order confirmation is just the first email. Shipping updates, return labels, refunds and support records may arrive days later—long after a temporary address expires.

Before you sign up: Will you place an order? Will you need to keep your membership, points and purchase history?
Recommended setup: Use a forwarding alias or your regular email. Keep the alias active until you’re sure all follow-up tasks are complete.

Manage ongoing forwarding

If you’ve already used a temporary address for an account you need to keep, update the email in your merchant account settings before the address expires, then verify the new address. Saving one verification code won’t help you recover the account later.

Privacy considerations

Separate promotional email,
not your whole identity

A temporary inbox reduces the need to share your regular email for a short-term task. Aliases let you manage messages from different stores separately. Neither option makes you completely anonymous or replaces the privacy settings on your merchant account.

Read the privacy policy and data handling details

Temporary inboxes rely on access credentials

Your inbox credentials let you read and manage messages. Don’t share addresses or request details that contain your credentials, and don’t leave an accessible inbox open on a public device. If you lose access or the address expires, you may not be able to read incoming messages.

Forwarding processes messages and your destination address

Mailtock must receive messages sent to your alias, identify your regular email as the destination and forward them. Your email provider also processes the messages it receives. An alias doesn’t bypass these steps.

Delivery depends on more than one step

Merchant restrictions, email delays, spam filters and the status of your destination inbox can all affect delivery. If a verification code doesn’t arrive, check the address, its expiration and whether the merchant sent it. “Not here yet” doesn’t mean it won’t arrive.

Next step

One-time verification or ongoing email?

For a one-off task, go to your temporary inbox. For membership, orders or after-sales support, use a store-specific alias you can keep receiving mail at. Choose first, then share the address with the merchant.

Use temporary email Use a forwarding alias

Shopping for something else? See the address selection guide

One Coupon, Two Ways to Receive Email

Both give the merchant an address, but email goes to different inboxes

Temporary address, inbox on Mailtock

Get an address on the homepage

Enter the temporary address on the merchant’s site

Read your email on Mailtock