Customers have been hit with a lot of changes from the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) over the last few years, including price hikes and slower delivery standards. Most of these have been a result of the agency's 10-year overhaul plan called Delivering for America, which began in 2021. But alongside that, the USPS has been making other adjustments to improve its overall service—and there are more on the horizon. Read on to learn more about the upcoming USPS changes, which start tomorrow.
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The USPS offers a loyalty program for customers.
iStockIf you ship a lot of packages with the USPS as a small business, you might be a member of the agency's Loyalty Program. As an incentive for business customers to use the Postal Service's online Click-N-Ship application, this program "enables registered business users to earn financial benefits when they use the Click-N-Ship application to purchase Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express labels."
The USPS Loyalty Program currently has over 1.2 million participants, and has generated more than $600 million in revenue from Priority Mail Shipping, according to eSeller365. That's not too shocking, as the program allows members to earn $40 credit for every $500 they spend at the base level. The dispensed credits raise by tiers depending on how much you spend in total, and they can be applied to future purchases for these customers—which leads to considerable savings.
But now, this widely-used service is switching things up for customers.
The agency is getting rid of a major part of the program tomorrow.
ShutterstockThe Postal Service is making a major change to its Loyalty Program. On May 18, the agency changed its Click-N-Ship service to allow all customers using it to receive lower commercial rates.
"We're making some exciting improvements to serve you better," the USPS said on its website. With this adjustment, customers will save up to 20 percent off of retail rates on every order they make when they upgrade to the agency's enhanced Click-N-Ship application.
But because of that, the Postal Service is discontinuing its current point and credit system altogether this weekend. Starting June 10, existing members of the Loyalty Program will no longer be able to earn loyalty points, according to the agency.
"You can still earn points through June 9, 2023, and can use your earned credits through June 9, 2024," the USPS explained. "You will still have access to your Loyalty account dashboard to view your earned credit balance."
This is not the only change the USPS is making this summer.
The Toidi / ShutterstockWhile the Postal Service is changing its Loyalty Program to allow all customers to save money when shipping, the agency is making other things more expensive this summer.
In an April press release, the USPS announced that it had filed notice with the PRC of proposed plans to raise First-Class Mail prices by approximately 5.4 percent. If favorably reviewed, these higher rates will go into effect on July 9. The new mailing services pricing will include a three-cent increase in the price of a First Class Mail Forever stamp, from 63 cents to 66 cents.
"As operating expenses fueled by inflation continue to rise and the effects of a previously defective pricing model are still being felt, these price adjustments are needed to provide the Postal Service with much needed revenue to achieve the financial stability sought by its Delivering for America 10-year plan," the agency stated in its release. "The prices of the U.S. Postal Service remain among the most affordable in the world."
But it's also getting rid of a shipping option.
ShutterstockBusiness customers will take another hit from the USPS in the coming weeks. At the beginning of 2023, the agency began phasing out its Corporate Account (USPSCA) service, which allows you to "charge and track Priority Mail Express shipments to one account," the Postal Service explains on its website. The first part of the discontinuation included the Postal Service closing inactive corporate accounts.
But the final part of the discontinuation is coming up. "All remaining USPSCA accounts will be closed on July 1," the USPS announced in recent postal bulletin. According to the agency, it is getting rid of its corporate accounts because of rising costs and declining demand.
"Customers will receive a final invoice in July after all USPS Corporate Accounts are permanently closed," the Postal Service said. "We apologize for any inconvenience to our valued USPSCA customers."
