Effective May 4, 2020, the Postal Service™ will revise Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM®), section 604.9.5.5, to clarify Priority Mail Express® postage refunds for guaranteed service.
Section 604.9.5.5 specifies that postage for Priority Mail Express pieces will not be refunded if the guaranteed service was not provided due to any of the circumstances listed in 604.9.5.5a through 604.9.5.5i.
Specifically, section 604.9.5.5i states that postage is not refunded other than for loss for Priority Mail Express pieces destined to Guam, American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, or the Freely Associated States (FAS), which includes the Republic of Palau, Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia. This revision clarifies that in addition to pieces destined for Guam, American Samoa, or the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, postage is not refunded other than for loss for Priority Mail Express pieces originating from these locations. This clarification does not affect postage refunds for Priority Mail Express pieces originating from the FAS, as the applicable governments determine postage and refunds for pieces originating from the FAS.
Although the Postal Service will not publish these revisions in the DMM until May 4, 2020, the standards are effective immediately.
Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM)
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600 Basic Standards for all Mailing Services
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604 Postage Payment Methods and Refunds
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9.0 Exchanges and Refunds
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9.5 Priority Mail Express Postage and Fees Refunds
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9.5.5 Refunds Not Given
[Revise the introductory text to read as follows:]
Postage will not be refunded if the guaranteed service was not provided due to any of the following circumstances:
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[Revise the text of item i. to read as follows:]
i. The postage refund requested is other than for loss, and the Priority Mail Express piece was destined to or originated from Guam, American Samoa, or the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (see 608.2.4.1 for ZIP Codes).
[Add new item j. to read as follows:]
j. The postage refund requested is other than for loss, and the Priority Mail Express piece was destined to the Republic of Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, or the Federated States of Micronesia (see 608.2.4.1 for ZIP Codes).
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The Postal Service will incorporate these revisions into the May 4, 2020, edition of the online DMM, which is available via Postal Explorer® at pe.usps.com.
— Product Classification, Marketing, 3-12-20
