Postage Options
Every mail piece you send goes out with either Standard postage or First Class postage. Your choice affects delivery speed, tracking availability, and per-piece cost.
Postage comparison
| Postage class | Typical delivery | USPS tracking | Return-to-sender | Per-piece cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | Standard USPS + ~5 or more additional days | No | No | Lower |
| First Class | Standard USPS First Class delivery | Yes | Yes | Slightly higher |
| International | Varies by country | Varies | Varies | Higher than domestic |
For exact per-piece cost differences, see thanks.io/pricing. First Class adds $0.05 for 4×6 and 6×9 postcards, and $0.21 for 6×11 postcards, letters, Notecards, and MagnaCards.
Standard postage
Standard postage uses the USPS marketing mail stream and adds approximately 5+ days to delivery compared to First Class. There is no USPS tracking and no return-to-sender service.
Choose Standard when:
- Cost per piece is the priority and you're sending high volumes.
- Precise delivery timing doesn't matter (evergreen promotions, drip campaigns).
- You don't need to confirm whether individual pieces were delivered.
First Class postage
First Class uses the USPS First Class mail stream. It is faster, includes USPS delivery tracking, and returns undeliverable pieces to your return address.
Choose First Class when:
- Timing matters - event invitations, time-sensitive offers, birthday mail.
- You want to confirm delivery status per piece.
- List hygiene matters - you want undeliverable pieces returned so you can clean your records.
Running a birthday or holiday campaign? Use First Class. Delivery timing is more predictable and you avoid the risk of a birthday card arriving a week late.
International delivery
All mailer types support international delivery. International sends automatically use the equivalent of First Class postage - Standard is not available for international recipients. See International Delivery for country-specific details.
Limits & gotchas
- Postage class is set account-wide in Account Settings and applies to all orders and campaigns.
- Return-to-sender on First Class notifies you of undeliverable pieces - it does not guarantee a piece is delivered.