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 | Typically 10-20 business days from print date | No | No | Lower |
| First Class | Typically 5-14 business days from print date | 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.
Choosing your postage
Postage is set for your whole account, not per order. Go to Settings → Mail Preferences (from the account menu at the top right) and use the Standard Mail Mode switch in the Delivery card:
- Off (the default) - your mail goes First Class.
- On - your mail goes Standard. You confirm the change in an Enable Standard Mail? dialog first.
Standard Mail Mode requires a paid plan. On the Free plan the switch shows Unlocked in Business. Mail Preferences is only available from the main account, so switch out of any sub-account first. The setting applies to every order you place in Send Mail and to your campaigns.
Standard postage
Standard postage uses the USPS marketing mail stream and typically arrives in 10-20 business days from the print date. 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 and typically arrives in 5-14 business days from the print date. 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 with Standard Mail Mode in Settings → Mail Preferences and applies to all orders and campaigns. Send Mail has no per-order postage choice.
- Return-to-sender on First Class notifies you of undeliverable pieces - it does not guarantee a piece is delivered.