Effective April 4, 2022, the Postal Service™ will revise Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM®), section 204.3.2.4 and part 602, to add Plus One as a new permanent product offering.
On November 10, 2021, the Postal Service filed a request to add Plus One as a new permanent product offering to USPS Marketing Mail® saturation letters as an optional feature. The Postal Service conducted a 2-year market test of Plus One, beginning September 2019.
On January 4, 2022, the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) favorably reviewed the addition of Plus One as a permanent Market Dominant product proposed by the Postal Service. The price became effective on January 9, 2022. Final product information is available under Docket No. MC2022-20 (Order No. 6081) on the PRC website at prc.gov.
Plus One is an advertising card mailed as an add-on mailpiece with a USPS Marketing Mail letters marriage mail envelope. The host mailpiece must be mailed as a commercial automation USPS Marketing Mail saturation marriage mail letter, with a minimum of 90 percent of the mailing being saturation sorted. The remaining 10 percent must be USPS Marketing Mail high density or high density plus letters. All mailpieces must be entered at the destination sectional center facility, and the Plus One add-on card must be part of the same mailing as the host piece, addressed to the same delivery points.
Although the Postal Service will not publish these revisions in the DMM until April 4, 2022, the standards are effective immediately.
Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM)
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200 Commercial Mail Letters, Cards, Flats, and Parcels
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204 Barcode Standards
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3.0 Standards for Barcoded Tray Labels, Sack Labels, and Container Labels
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3.2 Specifications for Barcoded Tray and Sack Labels
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3.2.4 3-Digit Content Identifier Numbers
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Exhibit 3.2.4 3-Digit Content Identifier Numbers
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ECR Letters — Barcoded
[Revise entry “saturation price” in Exhibit 3.2.4 to read as follows:]
[Revise entry “high density or high density plus price” in Exhibit 3.2.4 to read as follows:]
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600 Basic Standards for All Mailing Services
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602 Addressing
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[Add section 11.0 to read as follows:]
11.0 Commercial Plus One Mailpieces
11.1 Definition
The commercial mail Plus One product is a bundled offering, including a host mailpiece and a Plus One card. Both the host mailpiece and the Plus One card must meet the applicable basic standards of a USPS Marketing Mail saturation letter as specified in 245.6.0, be entered at a destination sectional center facility, and meet automation standards with a correct mailing address and Intelligent
Mail barcode. The Plus One mailpiece (card) must meet the following additional standards:
a. Be used for at least 6 months by the host mailer.
b. Be addressed to the same delivery points as the host mailpiece.
c. Be sorted and presented separately from the host piece.
d. Must not exceed 6 inches long by 9.5 inches high.
e. Must be at least 0.009 inches thick and card stock.
f. Must have “Plus One” marking directly below Permit indicia.
11.2 Mail Preparation
Each Plus One mailing must be trayed and labeled according to 245.6.7. Palletized mailings must be prepared according to 705.8.10.3.
11.3 Documentation
When requested by USPS, Plus One mailpiece mailers must provide standardized documentation according to 203.3.0 to establish that the applicable distribution standards are met. Spoilage of host pieces may affect eligibility to mail Plus One pieces. Host pieces must meet the following:
a. Documentation must show that at least 90 percent of host pieces are saturation mail. The remainder may be high density or high density plus.
b. The total number of Plus One pieces must be less than or equal to the number of host pieces.
11.4 Extra Services
Items mailed with Plus One mailpieces may not be combined with any extra service.
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The Postal Service will incorporate these revisions into the April 4, 2022, edition of the online DMM, which is available via Postal Explorer® at pe.usps.com.
— Product Classification,
Product Solutions, 1-27-22
