Question 1

When does the Card Swap start each month?

Accepted Answer

The Card Swap cycle starts on the 1st of each month and you have until midnight (GMT-5) on the 3rd to Opt-in to participate.

Question 2

When will I get my match?!

Accepted Answer

On the 5th - all match info will be in the portal by the 5th of the month.

Question 3

How do I change my preferences?

Accepted Answer

Login to the portal and click on the Warrior Card Swap program in your dashboard to update your swap preferences.

Question 4

Do I have to participate every month?

Accepted Answer

No! You can participate whenever you are feeling up to it.We ask that you update your status as "no" if you are not participating in a given month.
This lets our system know that your information is still current AND it will prevent you from getting reminder emails or texts for the rest of the month.

Question 5

What are my options for matching with someone?

Accepted Answer

You can chose to Make a Friend (hoping for response/pen pal) or Brighten Someone's Day (no response expected).Additionally, you can choose to send to someone within your country or with someone anywhere in the world.During the holiday swaps, you will be matched within country according to holiday card preference!

Question 6

How much does the Card Swap cost?

Accepted Answer

The Card Swap is FREE to join! The only cost is postage and a card (if you choose to purchase a card and not make one.)
We do have a "support the card swap" button on the site. This is for donations to help keep our program running.

Question 7

Do I need to register each month?

Accepted Answer

No! You only need to register once and then you can update your information and participation status inside the portal to participate each month.

Question 8

Do you have participants from all over the world?

Accepted Answer

Yes! We’ve had participants from over 30 countries! Most of our participants are in the US, UK, and Europe.

Question 9

What if I don’t want to do snail mail?

Accepted Answer

You may choose to swap a Physical Card or Digital card. You can change this preference in the portal between swaps. (You will not be able to change your card preference once the matching has been completed for the month.)

Question 10

Will I get a card every time I participate?

Accepted Answer

In a perfect world, yes! ;)
But we all know that the chronic world is far from perfect... We can’t guarantee that you will receive a card each time you participate, but it is our sincere HOPE that you will! 
We encourage you to focus on the sending and giving of a card to a fellow warrior, and if a card doesn't show up, to give grace to the sender.

Remember that if you're sending and receivng internationally, the mail can sometimes take a few weeks to arrive. If for any reason you have not received a card for a  couple of months, please let us know so that we can make sure you get a card or two the following month.

Question 11

Why is my "sending to" person different from my "receiving from" person?

Accepted Answer

We give each swapper the opportunity to make two connections each month - one to send TO and one to receive FROM.

Question 12

How do I update my information?

Accepted Answer

You can update all of your information inside the portal.

Question 13

Brain fog and forgetfulness happen to me a lot! What if I forget to send my card?

Accepted Answer

We get it! You will get a reminder to send your card out by the 10th of the month and then again on the 15th.
However, we STRONGLY suggest setting recurring reminders on your phone or calendar for the following dates each month:           1st: Reminder to login to the portal and Opt-IN for the month.          5th:  Reminder to login to the portal and see your match's information.          10th: this will remind you that to send your card asap! If for any reason you forget to send it on time, go ahead and send it late... your match will be excited to receive it. Be sure to put the month and Card Swap on the back of the envelope. 
For example: July Card Swap
This way your match can mark it as "arrived" in the portal for the correct month.

Question 14

I’d really like to make some friends! Will the Card Swap help with that?

Accepted Answer

While we cannot guarantee a friendship with any of your matches, we can say that many swappers have made real life friends and regular pen pals!

Question 15

What if I Opt In and can’t get out to get a card or stamp on time?

Accepted Answer

Be sure to have back up cards and postage on hand for those moments where you don't have the time or energy... and if your health prevents you from sending your card, you can click the YIKES option which will withdraw you from the swap and prompt a member of our Yikes Crew to step in and send a card to your match.

Question 16

What if I have an emergency or become too ill to participate?

Accepted Answer

We're sorry to hear this!If it is before the matches have been assigned, simply login and change your participation status to NO for the month.If you have already said YES to participating and have a match assigned, simply login to the portal and change click the "Yikes, I can't send my card" buttonThis will send your match info to our Yikes Crew and someone will send a card to your match so that they receive a card that month.If you are going through a really tough time, you can nominate yourself for extra card support via our Warriors In Crisis program. Look for the Nominate a Warrior tab in the dashboard of the portal.

Question 17

How do I format the address correctly if sending international mail?

Accepted Answer

It should be correct in the new portal.To double-check the formatting, you can  ask Chatgpt or Claude to format it for you.

Or, if you are in the US, follow this link to the: Address Formatting Tool!

Question 18

I’m super excited to meet new people, but what if my match doesn’t write back?

Accepted Answer

First, make sure that your preference is set to "Make a Friend" as this will match you with other warriors who wish to send cards back and forth.

Remember that depending on where your card is coming from, it can take weeks to arrive... and all of our warriors are juggling appointments and health challenges. Hopefully, you will receive a response before too long.

In the meantime, we invite you to check out our private online Social Club with other warriors and card swappers here.

Question 19

My password isn't working.

Accepted Answer

Click the forgot my password option to reset it.

Question 20

I’m confused about how the Card Swap works! Can you explain it?

Accepted Answer

Sure thing!
Once you Register, you are in our system and can participate whenever you are feeling up to it.Each month, you'll get a reminder from us. Login to your portal to set your participation status as YES or NO for the month.If you opt to participate, on the 5th you will be able to login and see who you are sending your card TO, as well as a hint of who and where your card will be coming FROM. Send your card by the 10th so that it arrives in the same month.Reach out if you have any further questions. :)

Question 21

Can I use a P.O. Box or does it have to be a street address?

Accepted Answer

You can use any mailing address that the postal service will deliver to... including a house/street address, a post box, or a business address.In fact, many of our warriors use PO box or business addresses for privacy reasons.

Question 22

Do I have to use my real name?

Accepted Answer

No! You can use whatever name you wish as long as your postal carrier will deliver it to you as addressed. Many of our swappers use their first and middle name.

Question 23

How old do I have to be to participate?

Accepted Answer

You can participate at any age. If you are under 13, you must have parental permission to participate and they will be notified that you have registered with us.

Warrior Card Swap
The only card swap created just for illness warriors!

Frequently Asked Questions