Charm Post vs Future Explorers' Club

Where they differ

Both are letters and activities clubs. Future Explorers' Club also covers travel; Charm Post stays narrower.

On price there is effectively nothing in it — $8/mo against £5.99/mo, which works out within a dollar a month of each other. Price is not the deciding factor here.

Future Explorers' Club addresses the post to the child by name; Charm Post does not. That sounds minor and it is the detail people mention most often — the envelope being visibly theirs is most of the appeal for a younger child.

What each one sends

Charm Post

Letters written as lessons from Professor Louise at a fictional magic academy, mailed on the 20th after an initial acceptance letter. Each envelope holds the lesson, a collectible trading card and a third item such as a spellbook page, potion recipe or puzzle. The makers note that some themes are mildly spooky.

Future Explorers' Club

Each month covers a new location through an illustrated letter, plus a craft activity card, a recipe card for local food, a map, a fun-facts card and a puzzle sheet. The envelope is printed with the child's name. A sample letter PDF is downloadable from the site.

Which one to pick

We are not going to pretend there is a winner here — they are close enough to be on the same shortlist, which is why this page exists. What we would say is that the choice usually turns on the household rather than the club: how much adult time there is, whether the child reads independently yet, and whether you want post that asks something of them or post that simply arrives.

Read the full listings before deciding, and follow through to each club's own site — prices, terms and gift options are theirs to change and ours only to record.