Ordering an epost.plus Private Email account takes under five minutes. Free Basic requires no credit card; paid tiers and premium prefixes accept card or Direct Debit. This tutorial walks through each step of the order flow on smartxhosting.uk/private-email.
The username is the part before @epost.plus.
Allowed characters: letters, digits, dots, hyphens. No spaces, no special symbols. Length 3-30 characters. Case-insensitive — Alex.Smith and alex.smith are the same.
Three options:
Basic is a genuinely full-featured free account — no trial expiry, no degraded feature set, no ad-injection. Premium and VIP add storage, features and higher limits.
Prefix type controls how your address looks:
[email protected]). Free.[email protected]). £3/year extra.[email protected]). £6/year extra.The prefix charge is annual and on top of the account tier charge. Example: Basic (£0) + Premium prefix (£3) = £3/year total.
Most users start Standard and upgrade to Premium prefix if they later want a cleaner address — available without changing the actual local-part of your address, as long as the desired variant is free.
The first time you order, SmartXHosting creates a Client Area (customer-portal) account for you.
Existing customers: sign in to your Client Area and skip straight to checkout.
If you chose Basic free and a Standard prefix, you will skip payment.
Otherwise:
Card payment charges immediately. Direct Debit takes 2-3 business days to collect for the first payment; service activates on first successful collection.
Within minutes of order confirmation, you receive an activation email with your mailbox credentials.
@epost.plus address and the initial password.At this point your account is fully active.
From your Client Area:
Downgrading is similar. Reducing storage below current usage forces you to clear some mail first.
Q: Can I order multiple Private Email accounts on one Client Area?
A: Yes. Add more from your Client Area any time.
Q: What if my desired username is unavailable?
A: Pick a variation — add a middle initial, a dot, or a relevant digit. The system suggests alternatives.
Q: How soon can I start using the mailbox?
A: Minutes for card payment; 2-3 business days for first Direct Debit. Basic free activates immediately after sign-up.
Q: Can I try a paid tier and downgrade later?
A: Yes. Upgrade and downgrade are non-disruptive and pro-rated.
Q: Is the Client Area password the same as the mailbox password?
A: No. They are separate by design. Keep them different to limit the blast radius of either being compromised.