Dedicated Support

How do I get started?

Accessing our API requires a Key which can be obtained by creating an account. You can integrate against our API without paying a thing by using our free test methods listed in the documentation. Test methods will produce faux data.

When you are ready query actual addressing and postcode data, you will need to purchase lookups on your key. Most API queries require you to purchase lookups ahead of time (i.e. Pay-As-You-Go). The exact pricing is listed in the documentation. We have an automated top-up facility which will charge your payment method if your balance runs low. Contact us if you would like to find out about our fixed payment options.

How do integrate the service with my application?

Our service communicates over HTTP, where a wide range of addressing queries can be made over just a handful of endpoints. For more information about our API, see our documentation and try the API out for yourself in your browser or terminal.

We also provide a number of libraries and code examples to assist in your integration.

How do I test the service?

Each account comes with 15 free lookups to query our API. Beyond that lookups must be purchased on a Pay-As-You-Go basis.

We also provide free test methods, which take the form of test postcodes or addresses. Test methods are ideal for testing your integration without affecting your balance.

How do I keep track of my key balance?

Aside from visiting your dashboard, we also provide email notification service you can activate on each individual key. Simply enter the email addresses which should be notified as well as the balance threshold to trigger the notifications.

The specified email addresses will be notified daily (as long as the key is being used) while the balance is under the threshold.

How are my payments secured?

Our payments are handled by Stripe. Stripe has been audited by a PCI-certified auditor, and has in turn been certified as a PCI Level 1 Service Provider, the most stringent level of certification available.

Stripe's certification is listed among Visa's registry of service providers. Stripe is also a participant in the PCI Security Standards Council.

I'm on the Pay-As-You-Go plan. How do I purchase lookups?

To purchase lookups you need to sign up for an account and then create an API Key. Lookups can be purchased on an individual API Key. Lookups are not transferable between keys.

Once you have your key, you can then purchase lookups by visiting your dashboard and clicking on Top-Up Balance

Which payment methods do you accept?

We accept card payments including VISA, MasterCard and American Express.

For large invoices, we also accept BACS and Cheque payments.

Does my key balance expire?

Yes. Our licence with Royal Mail determines that each batch of lookups you purchase expire 12 months after you first use it.

For example, lookups purchased on January 2015 but first used in February 2015 will expire in February 2016.

Can I get my data in standards other than JSON?

We do not have plans to use other standards. If you would like us to support alternative standards please get in touch.

Is there a plain HTTP version of the API?

Yes. This was a recent change as a small number of users requested this. However, we continue to recommend using the HTTPS.

What do I do if I receive a "Lookup Balance Exhausted" error?

This means your API Key has used up all of its lookups. To continue making API requests please purchase more lookups.

What kind of support is available?

We're happy to help from general licensing questions to deep technical issues.

We provide live chat support during the week (Monday to Friday, 9am to 4:30pm), however we're also often available after these hours. You can also reach us through email which is monitored around the clock.

If you need any help debugging please feel free to join our live chat page. A URL pointing to your implementation is also helpful in speeding up the debugging process.

What do I do if I receive a non-200 response from your API?

A list of errors is available in the documentation. We can also give you direct assistance for debugging via the support page.

Can I update my account details?

Yes. In fact we need you to keep your information up-to-date. Your address can be amended through your Ideal Postcodes account.

To change your company name, you will need to get in contact with us.

I forgot my password. How do I get a new one?

You can have an email sent to you to create a new password via our login page.

Alternatively, contact us directly and we'll perform the necessary identity verification to change it for you.

My key can be seen inside of the client source code, is this a problem?

We provide a range of tools to restrict your API Key from unauthorised usage. From your API Key settings you can enable the following safeguards:

• Allowed URLs - Accept only requests that come from a user defined list of URLs
• Daily lookup limits - Limit the number of lookups your key can make on a daily basis
• Daily individual lookup limits - Limit the number of lookups your key from an individual client

Who should sign up for the account?

If you're an authorised representative of a client or an employee of a company, then can register on behalf of your company with your own email address.

When authorising your account (i.e. accepting the Terms of Use), please use the information of the company or individual who will be using the data.

Why is there no geolocation or county data for a some addresses?

There are two explanations. Either the address is a PO Box. Alternatively, the address is new and not yet included the the Ordnance Survey's national database of postcodes.

Why does the postcode I'm looking for not exist?

Often when a postcode can't be found, it means that the postcode has been deprecated.

Our database is an authoritative source of currently active postcodes across the UK and is updated daily from Royal Mail.

Do you provide any plans? (Other than PAYG)

Yes. We provide automated top-up plans which will charge your payment method whenever your balance runs low

For Public Sector Companies, we provide monthly subscription plans

Finally, we also provide fixed fee, unlimited, annual licences for websites,

Do you provide multiple residence data?

Yes. In order to access Multiple Residence data (as well as PAF) you need to create a Multiple Residence key. Visit your dashboard and click Add a Key