Postal Action Alert: USPS 2025 Proposed Promotions Summary

4/17/2024 Tom Watry

On Tuesday, April 9, 2024, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) filed with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) a “Market Dominant” price adjustment notice to become effective July 14, 2024. The USPS also filed a description of the 2025 promotions in conjunction with the rate filing. This is intended to give mailer owners and mail service providers advance notice of the changes coming with the 2025 promotions.

For CY 2025, the Postal Service is proposing five Primary Promotions. These include: “Tactile, Sensory, and Interactive Mailpiece Engagement,” “Integrated Technology,” “Reply Mail IMbA,” “First-Class Mail Advertising,” and “Continuous Contact.”

Along with four of the five Primary Promotions, the postal service is also offering the “Informed Delivery” promotion and a new “Sustainability” promotion as an Add-On Promotion, both of which apply to First-Class Mail and Marketing Mail.

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Mailer owners may take one or both add-ons at any time throughout the year as long as they are participating in one of the five primary USPS Promotions.

A more detailed explanation of the five Primary Promotions and two Add-On Promotions is listed below.

Overview of CY2025 USPS Promotions

Tactile, Sensory, and Interactive – 4%

Discount is on outgoing postage
Promotion encourages mailers to drive customer engagement with the mail using advanced print innovations in paper and stock, substrates, inks, interactive elements, and finishing techniques
Promotion period February 1, 2025 – July 31, 2025
Marketing Mail and First-Class Letters & Flats
Change in 2025 is that gloss paper stock alone will NOT qualify for this promotion as it has in the past

Integrated Technology – 3%

Discount is on outgoing postage
Encourages mailers to incorporate mobile and other technologies into their mail pieces
Allows a mailer to choose their six-month promotion period in CY 2025
Marketing Mail and First-Class Letters & Flats
QR Code/Mobile Shopping requirements may change, USPS is discussing adjustments and the new rules will be published in the Promotion Guidebook

Reply Mail IMbA – 3% or 6% (based on whether barcode is serialized)

Discount is on return mail pieces postage
First-Class QBRM & High Volume QBRM to qualify
The promotion will run from July 1, 2025, through December 31, 2025
Not eligible to use with the new Add-on Promotions

First-Class Mail Advertising Promotion – 3%

Discount is on outgoing postage
Will replace the Personalized Color Transpromo and encourage Marketing in First-Class
Promotion period September 1, 2025 – December 31, 2025
First-Class Letters & Flats

Continuous Contact – 3%

Discount is on outgoing postage
For mailers who send qualifying USPS Marketing Mail letters and flats to a household two or more times within the promotional period
Following the first mailing to a household, mailers will receive the discount on all subsequent mailings within the promotional period
The content of each mailpiece must be iterative or complementary, not duplicative
Promotion period April 1, 2025 – December 31, 2025

Informed Delivery Add-On – +1%

Offers an additional 1% discount on outgoing postage for mailings that incorporate best practices and techniques in their Informed Delivery campaigns
First-Class Mail automation letters, cards, and flats and USPS Marketing Mail automation letters and flats that meet the promotion’s requirements are eligible
This Add-on Promotion can be used in addition to any Primary Promotion, except for the Reply Mail IMbA Primary Promotion and it can be stacked with other Add-on Promotions
The Postal Service plans to offer the promotion from January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2025

Sustainability Add-On – +1%

Offers an additional 1% discount on outgoing postage for First-Class Mail automation letters, cards, and flats and USPS Marketing Mail automation letters and flats that meet the promotion’s requirements
The Sustainability Add-on Promotion encourages mailers to adopt a higher level of recyclable paper in their mailings
Mailers must prove that their printer is using one of several approved certifications
This Add-on Promotion can be used in addition to any Primary Promotion, except for the Reply Mail IMbA Primary Promotion, and it can be stacked with other Add-on Promotions
The Postal Service plans to offer the promotion from January 1, 2025, through December 31, 2025

RRD Postal Affairs will continue to provide you with important updates as they become available. Please reach out to your RRD Account Representative to help you discover how you may be able to take advantage of the USPS promotions. For questions, please contact postal.affairs@rrd.com.