These days it seems like every time you check your mail, there are more business solicitations and catalogs than there is anything else- and nearly all of them have little postcards that say “no postage necessary” attached.
So what does no postage necessary mean- who uses it, and why? Here is what I discovered!
Key Takeaways
No Postage Necessary Meaning In 2022
No postage necessary mail is a type of business reply mail offered by USPS as an option for businesses and solicitors to help make it easier for consumers to respond via mail. When a customer receives no postage necessary mail, they do not have to put a stamp on the piece of mail or address it because the organization reaching out to them has already done that- they just have to fill out their correspondence and put it back in their mailbox.
If you want to learn more about how to use no postage necessary mail yourself, as well as why it’s used by businesses, be sure to check out the rest of the article!
Why Does My Mail Say No Postage Necessary?
No postage necessary means that you do not have to pay for or affix a stamp to this particular piece of mail to send it back to the organization in question- all you have to do is fill out the correspondence and put it back in your mailbox.
Businesses choose to send this type of business reply mail because it makes correspondence with their customers more convenient and less expensive for the consumer, which increases the likelihood the organization will get their business.
The most common type of no postage necessary mail is a small postcard that’s tucked into a magazine or catalog.
This particular type of no postage necessary mail is to help customers buy or renew a subscription to the magazine or catalog more easily- all you have to do is fill out your name, address, and bubble in any additional information before putting it back in your mailbox.
Who Sends No Postage Necessary Mail?
No postage necessary mail is a type of business reply mail, so it’s easy to assume that it is only sent by businesses.
In order to send no postage necessary mail, you must have a permit, which you can obtain by submitting a completed “Mailing Permit Application and Customer Profile” form 3615 to your local post office.
There is an annual fee of $160 that is applied to all Business Reply Mail options, and you can be charged up to $500 for an advanced deposit if your BRM permit qualifies as a high-volume BRM.
If you’re interested in using Business Reply Mail for your business or neighborhood catalog, you can find a great guide to BRM from USPS here, which includes helpful layout guidelines and payment options.
Can You Put A Stamp On No Postage Necessary Mail?
While you can certainly put a stamp on no postage necessary mail, it is, as the name indicates, absolutely unnecessary.
When you put a stamp on no postage necessary mail, you give the organization you’re corresponding with an opportunity to turn the mail into the post office and request a refund.
While this may be your way of donating a little extra money to an organization or business you love, there are ultimately better ways to go about it.
How Do You Know When A Piece Of Mail Is No Postage Necessary?
There are several indicators that are critical in determining whether or not your piece of mail requires postage.No postage necessary mail combines three key elements to help differentiate it from other mail.
1. In the very center of the piece of mail, there will be a bolded, capitalized title with a box around it that reads “BUSINESS REPLY MAIL”
Underneath the title, it will say “First Class Mail” followed by a permit number, and the city and state of the issuing post office
2. In the upper right-hand corner of the mail, there should be another box where the stamp would typically go.
In this box, there will be the capitalized phrase “no postage necessary if mailed in the United States”.
3. There will be horizontal, uniform bars evenly spaced and at least one inch long lining the right side of the piece of mail.
These bars will not extend past the delivery address line.
To know more, you can also see our posts on where is my USPS mail, if USPS first class has insurance, and if USPS delivers to PO boxes.
Conclusion
No postage necessary mail is a type of Business Reply Mail used by businesses and organizations.
The purpose of no postage necessary mail is to try and solicit a response from consumers by making it easier and cheaper to respond to solicitations.
While you can put a stamp on no postage necessary mail, the very nature of this type of business reply mail dictates that you do not need to provide your own stamp.