Postal Rates Are Up Again. Help Your Clients Save

By Paul Bobnak

The July 12 USPS postage increase is now in effect, but fortunately, several promotions remain available for the balance of 2026. In our latest 5 Minute Mail episode, Toni McQuilken and I talked about things you can do to offset additional costs, but here I wanted to focus on the postal service’s incentives, and how they can help you now and in 2027.

A few months ago, I wrote about the 2026 USPS promotion programs. Since then, the Tactile, Sensory & Interactive (TSI) and Catalog Insights incentives have both ended. The Integrated Technology and Continuous Contact promotions are ongoing and each offer a 5% postage discount for qualifying mailings. And registration for the new First-Class Mail Advertising promotion started last week; the 5% discount begins Sept. 1.

Then there are the two add-ons for Informed Delivery and Sustainability that I’ve seen pop up a lot, each good for another 1% discount on a campaign. So combined, you could be saving up to 7% on your costs, while creating more engaging mail.

It’s a good time with the 4th quarter and holidays approaching to review upcoming campaigns. With some small production or design changes, you may be able to unlock thousands in savings.

But looking ahead to next year, planning becomes even more important.

The USPS has recently proposed moving to a single annual Market Dominant price adjustment in January, replacing the current mid-year cadence like we just had. If approved by the Postal Regulatory Commission, the change would better align postage adjustments with annual budgeting and marketing planning cycles.

So the proposal is still under review, but to be on the safe side, marketers should begin thinking further ahead about both budgets and campaign timing.

As far as the 2027 incentives go, the Postal Service is continuing what’s worked best, such as TSI, Integrated Tech, FCM Advertising, and the two add-ons. Gone are Catalog Insights and Continuous Contact.

Joining the lineup are 2 new promotions:

Direct Mail Discovery - offers new mailers (or companies that haven’t mailed in 2 years) a 40% discount on Marketing Mail campaigns up to 5,000 pieces.
Impact Messaging - offers a 5% discount on FCM and Marketing Mail that includes messaging promoting the impact and value of direct mail.

Now, the playbooks for 2027 with all of the details haven’t been posted yet. But don’t wait to start your planning. To see the greatest value from USPS incentives, build them into campaign strategy early. There are opportunities here to create mail that drives greater impact and ROI as well as save money.

And yes, I'll continue following USPS announcements and the 2027 promotion calendar and will keep posted as additional details become available.