General

Q: Do ZIP codes change? How frequent is the database updated?
A: Yes, ZIP Codes are in a state of constant change. Therefore, our database is being updated every month.

Q: What format does the database files come in?
A: All databases come in comma-delimited ASCII (CSV), Microsoft® Access (MDB), Microsoft® Excel (XLS) and dBASE IV (DBF). If you are looking for other formats, please feel free to contact us.

Q: I do not know which database I need to order. Can I get a demo version first?
A: Yes, demo version of database is available for immediate download. It is free for evaluation purpose.

Q: Can I use the database after the subscription period is up?
A: Yes, you can use the data after the subscription period is up. Depending on the data that you have, it will get inaccurate over time and you’ll probably want to renew at some point. 

Q: Can I use your data in a store locator?
A: Yes, Premium Edition of database consists of latitude and longitude fields. You can use these fields to calculate the distance between different ZIP codes or Postal Code.

Q: Can I redistribute your data with our software?
A: Yes, but you need to purchase redistribution license for the database. The license bundled with free one year database update. We need you to encrypt the data first before distribute it with the software.

Q: Why some ZIP codes only have 3 or 4 digits in my Excel Spreadsheet?
A: Many ZIP codes start with 0 or 00. They do appear correctly in our database. But if you import them into another program as numbers rather than as text strings, your program may not display any leading zeros. Import them as text strings instead. If you're viewing them in Excel, format your zip code field as '00000' to see all five characters.

Order and Download

Q: How do I order the database now?
A: Choose the database edition and subscription option and click the "Order Now" button. You will be redirected to a secure order form. Fill in your order details together with credit card information. We will send you the download instruction to your email account immediately once the transaction is approved.

Q: What is the currency used in this Web site?
A: All prices are quoted in U.S. Dollars, unless otherwise specifically stated.

Q: How my purchase appear on my credit card bill?
A: Hexa SDC contracts credit card processing to Regsoft.com. Therefore, the credit card payment will show "Regsoft.com". You will receive a reminder 30 days after order completed.

Q: How do I download the database?
A:After your order processed, we will e-mail the instructions to you for downloading the Full Version. You can have unlimited download a long as the subscription period is still valid.

Q: When can I expect my subscription update?
A:If you ordered the yearly subscription, you can expect a total of 11 updates to your initial purchase (12 total downloads) by the first business week of the month.

Q: What is my password?
A:The download password is available inside the instruction we have emailed you. Please check your mailbox after purchased. If your order has been approved but do not receive any email after 10 minutes, please email us at sales @ zipcodeworld.com.

ZIP/Postal Code Data

Q: Once I have your data in my database, can I search with a city name to get the ZIP Code?
A:Yes, the data is designed for database, you’ll easily be able to search by any column – be it city, state, county, etc.

Q: Do zip codes cross county lines? Do you include all counties for a zip code?
A: Zip codes cross county lines on occasion. When it does, we include the primary county or that zip code based on the total number of address. 

Q: What is latitude and longitude used for?
A: Latitude/Longitude is used to calculate the distance between one ZIP/Postal code and another. Latitude and Longitude is primarily used for locators: for finding the nearest store or dealer to your ZIP/Postal code. It is also used for finding all the ZIP/Postal codes within a certain radius. Please proceed to Developers sections to download the distance formula.

Q: What is a APO/FPO address?
A: APO (Army Post Office) or FPO (Fleet Post Office) address is a military designated address mail to be delivered to overseas locations at domestic rates. Instead of a city and state, these addresses use along with "AE" (mail going to Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and portions of Canada), "AP" (the Pacific) and "AA" (for the Americas and portions of Canada). Therefore, the bottom line of overseas military addresses is: APO or FPO; followed by AE, AP, or AA; and then the ZIP Code.

Q: What is a centroid?
A: A centroid is a center point. We use centroids to get the longitude and latitude of zip codes. It is a population based centroid to identify the most intense area.

Q: Do you provide unique latitude and longitude for Canada postal codes despite within same FSA?
A: Yes. We provide unique street level latitude and longitude for Canada postal codes despite within same FSA.

Q: What is the CITY_TYPE field in United States ZIP code database?
A: This field indicates the type of locale in field CITY_ALIAS_NAME. Refer to table for all city types.

CODE	DESCRIPTION
A	Airport Mail Facility (AMF)
B	Branch
C	Community Post Office (CPO)
D	Area Distribution Center (ASC)
E	Sectional Center Facility (SCF)
F	Delivery Distribution Center (DDC)
G	General Mailing Facility (GMF)
K	Bulk Mail Center (BMC)
M	Money Order Unit
N	Non Postal Community Name
P	Post Office
S	Station
U	Urbanization

Q: What if I still have more questions?
A: If you have a question, we'll be more than happy to answer it for you. Click here to ask your question.