Postal Service Plan to Change Mail Classes Would Raise Postcard Rate

The Postal Service is planning the most sweeping changes ever in its rates, including an increase to 21 cents for mailing a postcard.

The cost of that postage had already risen a penny from last year’s rate. The cost of mailing a first-class letter, which increased to 32 cents in January, would be unchanged.

The changes proposed Monday are aimed primarily at businesses.

By redesigning three of its mail classes, the Postal Service hopes to encourage high-volume mailers to prepare their cards and letters in advance for machine sorting at the post office.

The Postal Service plans to file its proposal with the independent Postal Rate Commission on March 24. The commission has 10 months to decide whether to recommend the change to the postal governors, who could then enact it.

Loren E. Smith, a Postal Service senior vice president, said the new rate structure would be fairer, charging less for mail that is less expensive to deliver.

Business mailers that take steps to make the post office’s job easier, such as putting a bar code onto each letter and using only correct addresses, would qualify for a lower rate than they pay now. Those that don’t qualify would pay more than they do today.