From USPS.com:
“USPS Announces Shipping Dates
for Holiday Military Mail”
(Sailors and Marines carry mail
onto the USS Makin Island during a port call in Singapore.)
Making sure those serving in the
nation’s armed forces and diplomatic service receive their presents and care
packages in time for the holidays is a priority of the U.S. Postal Service.
Plan ahead and mail your holiday cheer early to friends and loved ones serving
abroad. To send packages to military and diplomatic posts abroad, the Postal
Service offers a discounted price of $21.15 on its largest Priority Mail Flat
Rate Box. The price includes a $1.50 discount per box for mail sent to
APO/FPO/DPO (Air/Army Post Office/Fleet Post Office/Diplomatic Post Office)
destinations worldwide. Priority Mail Flat Rate Boxes are available at no cost
at Post Office locations and can also be ordered via usps.com. Postage, labels
and customs forms can also be printed online anytime using the Click-N-Ship
feature. All mailing products can be found at store.usps.com/store/home.
The Postal Service is expecting
to process more than 12.6 million pounds of mail for APO/FPO/DPO destinations
this holiday season. To ensure timely delivery of holiday wishes by Dec. 25,
the Postal Service recommends that cards and packages be sent to military
APO/FPO/DPO addresses overseas no later than the mailing dates listed below.
Military Mail Addressed To and From
Priority Mail Express
Military® Service (PMEMS)
First-Class™ Mail Letters and Cards
Priority Mail® Parcel Airlift Mail
(PAL)
Space Available Mail (SAM)
Retail Ground
APO/FPO/DPO AE ZIPs 090-092 PMEMS: Dec 16 First Class: Dec 09 Priority: Dec 09 PAL and SAM: Services no longer available Retail Ground: Nov 06
APO/FPO/DPO AE ZIP 093
PMEMS: N/A First Class: Dec
09 Priority: Dec 09 PAL and SAM: Services no longer
available Retail Ground: Nov 06
APO/FPO/DPO AE ZIPs 094-099 PMEMS: Dec 16 First Class: Dec 09 Priority: Dec 09 PAL and SAM: Services no longer
available Retail Ground: Nov 06
APO/FPO/DPO AA ZIP 340
PMEMS: Dec 16 First Class: Dec
09 Priority: Dec 09 PAL and SAM: Services no longer
available Retail Ground: Nov 06
APO/FPO/DPO AP ZIPs 962-966 PMEMS: Dec 16 First Class: Dec 09 Priority: Dec 09 PAL and SAM: Services no longer
available Retail Ground: Nov 06
Use the Military Care Kit to
Send Presents and Care Packages The Postal Service has created a free
Military Care Kit based on the items most frequently requested by military
families. The kit contains: Two Priority Mail APO/FPO Flat Rate Boxes,
Four Priority Mail Medium Flat Rate Boxes, Priority Mail tape, Priority
Mail address labels, Six Custom Forms Envelopes
To order the kit, call
800-610-8734. Guidelines for packing, addressing and shipping items to U.S.
troops can be found at
store.usps.com/store/product/shipping-supplies/military-care-kit-P_MILITARYKIT.
To order flat-rate boxes featuring the “America Supports You” logo, go to
usps.com/freeboxes.
Addressing the Package
Write the service member’s full
name
Include the unit and APO/FPO/DPO
address with the 9-digit ZIP Code (if one is assigned). For example:
Army/Air Post Office (APO)
PFC JANE DOE
PSC 3 BOX 4120
APO AE 09021
Fleet Post Office (FPO)
SEAMAN JOSEPH SMITH
UNIT 100100 BOX 4120
FPO AP 96691
Diplomatic Post Office (DPO)
MELANIE ADAMS
UNIT 8400 BOX 0000
DPO AE 09498-0048
Do not write the country name
where the service member is stationed in the address. Do include a return
address. Inside the box, include the service member’s name and address as well
as the sender’s name and address on an index card in case the shipping label
gets damaged in transit. Additional information about shipping items to service
members can be found here.
New Pricing As of Aug. 29,
the cost of a First-Class Forever stamp increased three cents, from 55 cents to
58 cents. There are also temporary price increases in place through Dec. 26,
12:01 a.m., Central time for both retail and business customers for some of our
more popular shipping products, which also includes military shipping —
Priority Mail Express (PME), Priority Mail (PM), First-Class Package Service
(FCPS), Parcel Select, USPS Retail Ground, and Parcel Return Service.
International products are unaffected. These temporary rates will keep the
Postal Service competitive while providing the agency with the revenue to cover
extra costs in anticipation of peak-season volume surges similar to levels
experienced in 2020.
Temporary pricing increases
for Priority Mail, Priority Mail Express, Parcel Select Ground and USPS Retail
Ground is as follows:
PM and PME Flat Rate Boxes and
Envelopes - $0.75
Zones 1-4, 0-10 lbs. - $0.25
Zones 5-9, 0-10 lbs. - $0.75
Zones 1-4, 11-20 lbs. - $1.50
Zones 5-9, 11-20lbs. - $3.00
Zones 1-4, 21-70 lbs. - $2.50
Zones 5-9, 21-70 lbs. - $5.00
All other retail shipping
services:
First-Class Package Service -
Retail - $0.30
A zone pricing calculator can be
found online. A complete list of business products and prices is also available
online. The temporary adjustment is part of “Delivering for America,” the
Postal Service’s 10-year plan for achieving financial sustainability and
service excellence, which calls for appropriate pricing initiatives. Even with
the temporary increase, the Postal Service has some of the lowest mail postage
rates in the industrialized world and continues to offer great values in
shipping. The Postal Service generally receives no tax dollars for operating
expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its
operations.
^ Don’t forget to send your
APO/FPO/DPO holiday mail early. ^
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