The problem with shopping under your real address
Every checkout asks for an email address, and most retailers keep it long after your order arrives. It ends up in marketing lists, abandoned-cart reminders, partner promotions and, sooner or later for many stores, a data breach. Online retailers are a frequent target because they hold names, addresses and purchase histories together.
Once your real address is on those lists, you can’t take it back. Unsubscribe links help with honest senders, but they do nothing about lists that have already been shared.
How an alias changes that
Use a Hskky alias at checkout instead. Receipts, shipping notices and return labels still reach your inbox, because the alias forwards them. If a store starts sending more than you want, or turns up in a breach report, stop the alias and nothing further gets through.
If you stop an alias and then need a refund confirmation or a warranty email from that store, you have two months to reactivate it.
Practical tips
- On Free: use your one alias for all shopping and keep your real address for banks, government services and people you know.
- On Plus: give big retailers or marketplaces their own aliases, and keep one general alias for one-off purchases. When spam arrives, you’ll know which store it came from.
- Before stopping an alias, check for open orders, returns or warranties that still depend on it.
- Update stored accounts at stores you buy from regularly, so your real address gradually drops out of retail databases.
Which plan fits
Occasional online shoppers are well served by the Free plan. If you shop with many stores and want to trace who shares your address, Plus gives you up to 10 aliases and custom names you’ll recognise in your inbox.
Questions
Will I still receive order confirmations and delivery updates?
Yes. As long as the alias is active, every message the store sends is forwarded to your inbox.
What if a store sends attachments like invoices?
Attachments are forwarded up to 5 MB on Free and 25 MB on Plus, which covers typical invoices and return labels.
Can I use an alias with PayPal or my bank?
You can, but for financial accounts many people prefer their real address so they never miss security notices. Use aliases for retailers and keep finance on your main inbox.