When does acceptance occur for offers communicated through mail and telegrams?

The correct approach to understanding when acceptance occurs for offers communicated through mail and telegrams is based specifically on the "postal rule" in contract law, which states that acceptance is deemed effective at the moment it is dispatched rather than when it is received by the offeror.

In this context, the moment of putting the acceptance into the post (or delivering it to the telegraph office) is critical because it establishes the point at which the offeree has communicated their acceptance to the offeror. The rationale behind this rule is that once the acceptance has been sent, the offeree has done all that is required on their part to manifest acceptance of the offer, thus creating a binding contract regardless of whether the offeror has received the acceptance yet.

Other options do not align with this established principle. The reception of acceptance (when the offeror gets it) would suggest a different interpretation under which the contract would only be formed once the acceptance is acknowledged, which contradicts the postal rule. Similarly, determining acceptance at the moment of writing or signing does not reflect the necessary act of communication required to form a contract; it is the act of dispatch that is critical in mail and telegram contexts. Therefore, it is the act of posting the acceptance that triggers the acceptance of