Do I need to create a sub-address before using it?

No. Type it into a form and it works the first time mail arrives. There's nothing to set up and no limit on how many you use.

Do sub-addresses count against my forwarder limit?

No. They belong to the forwarder they extend, so a single forwarder gives you as many sub-addresses as you like.

Which separators can I use?

A plus (+), a hash (#) or a slash (/). Dots and hyphens are not separators, because they're valid characters inside a Vend address.

Can I reply from a sub-address?

Yes. Replying to a message that arrived at a sub-address sends from that same sub-address, so the thread stays consistent for the other person.

What if a sub-address starts getting spam?

Filter your mailbox by that sub-address to see exactly who's responsible. Pausing or deleting the parent forwarder stops mail to all of its sub-addresses at once.

Is it available on the free plan?

Sub-addresses are included on all paid plans and lifetime accounts. On the free plan, mail to a sub-address is rejected as an unknown address.

Feature

One address, unlimited sub-addresses

Take any forwarder you already have and add +anything to it. The mail arrives, it's labelled with the sub-address you used, and you never had to create a thing.

One forwarder called newsletter. Three addresses you invented on the spot.

Invent the address at the moment you need it

The usual flow for a new alias is: stop what you're doing, open your dashboard, create an address, come back. Sub-addresses remove that entirely. Standing at a checkout page, you type newsletter+acme@vend.email into the form and carry on. Nothing exists ahead of time; the address starts working the first time someone mails it.

Every sub-address delivers to the same place as its parent forwarder, so your recipients, tags and settings carry over untouched.

Three separators, because forms are fussy

Plenty of signup forms wrongly reject a + in an email address. So all three of these reach the same forwarder:

newsletter+acme@vend.email is the familiar one, and the one to reach for first
newsletter#acme@vend.email works when a form rejects the plus
newsletter/acme@vend.email works when it rejects both

Dots and hyphens are deliberately not separators. Vend lets you create forwarders like john.doe@ and black-friday@, and those addresses have to keep meaning exactly what they say.

Your existing addresses still win

If you've actually created a forwarder that contains a separator, it takes precedence. Mail to news+letter@vend.email goes to the forwarder of that exact name if you own one, and only falls back to news@ with the sub-address letter if you don't. The most specific address you own always wins.

Every message knows which one it came in on

Vend records the sub-address on each message as it arrives, so your mailbox can filter on it instantly. Every message that came in via +acme, on demand. Each forwarder's page also lists the sub-addresses it has seen and how much mail each one has pulled in, which is the fastest way to spot the retailer who sold your address on.

Replies keep it too. Answer a message that arrived at newsletter+acme@ and your reply goes out from that same sub-address, so the conversation stays intact and the other side never sees your parent address.

Not the same as Gmail's plus trick

Gmail's you+shop@gmail.com is one address wearing a hat: your real address is sitting right there in it, and stripping the suffix is a one-line change any sender can make. A Vend sub-address reveals nothing. The parent is an alias too, and your actual inbox never appears. And when a sub-address starts attracting junk, pausing or deleting the parent forwarder closes the whole set at once.

Where it works

Sub-addresses work on every forwarder in your account, on Vend domains, premium domains and your own custom domains alike. They're included on every paid plan and for lifetime accounts, and there's nothing to switch on, because the moment your plan is active every address you own accepts them.