USPSNEWS@WORK

USPS to test Seamless Verification System postcards

The Postal Service is testing an additional application of the Seamless Verification System using Friend-to-Friend Mail postcards.

The postcards will be bound into five mag­azines between May and December. Some of the magazines' readers will detach the Friend-to-Friend Mail postcard, write a short message, address the card to a friend, and drop it in the mail.

The Seamless Verification System takes advantage of the latest advances in postal technology, using an Intelli­gent Mail barcode in combination with ID tags applied during mail processing to generate unique scan data that will allow the Postal Service to count Friend-to-Friend Mail postcards in the mailstream during the test. Postage is charged by linking the scan data to a Centralized Account Payment System account created for the test.

Mail processing and delivery employees who see these postcards should be aware that Friend-to-Friend post­cards are First-Class Mail and should be delivered as addressed.

Who knows — maybe a friend will send one to you!