With the price change effective January 26, 2014, the Postal Service™ implemented a new “meter price” for single-piece non-presorted First-Class Mail® letters. The meter price is available for any single-piece First-Class Mail letters with postage paid by meter, permit imprint, pre-cancelled stamps, business reply mail permit (BRM), or PC Postage®, including customized postage. It is available for single-piece First-Class Mail letter mail whether it is mailed at retail (dropped off at a retail counter or dropped into a blue USPS® collection box) or as a residual piece in a commercial mailing. The price for up to one ounce is 48 cents.
All existing requirements for single-piece mail remain unchanged. For Permit Imprint mailings, the minimum piece requirement of at least 200 pieces per mailing continues to apply.
As shown in the table below, the new price category is based on incremental weights up to 3.5 ounces and is one cent lower than the single-piece stamped machinable First-Class Mail letter price. Postal Service employees should not mark these pieces as postage due when they are one cent below the stamped price.
Note:
n The one cent difference between stamp and meter pricing is for First-Class Mail letters only; metered First-Class Mail cards and flats continue to have the same price as stamped First-Class Mail cards and flats.
n CPUs are required to charge the “stamp price” starting at 49 cents per piece when they meter pieces at a CPU.
The new metered mail price was presented in the December 18, 2013 Federal Register Notice and the December 26, 2013 issue of the Postal Bulletin.
— Mailing Services,
New Products and Innovations, 2-20-14
