>From "Postal Bulletin": Redeeming International Reply CouponsEffective November 9, 2006, we are revising Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, International Mail Manual (IMM®) part 372 and Publication 51, International Postal Rates and Fees, to reflect current procedures in our redemption policy for international reply coupons (IRCs) issued before 2002. As of January 1, 2007, customers will no longer be able to redeem IRCs issued before 2002 at U.S. Post OfficesTM. Starting January 1, 2007, retail associates should advise customers to return pre-2002 IRCs to their correspondents in the country of issue for redemption through the postal administration that issued the coupon. This policy change is only for IRCs issued by foreign postal administrations - U.S.-origin coupons are not affected. This new date of January 1, 2007, revises the date of July 1, 2006, published in the article titled "New IRC Procedures: Redemption of International Reply Coupons at Retail Counters," in Postal Bulletin 22184 (7-6-06, page 28). As noted in that article, the pre-2002 IRCs are approximately 2.5 inches by 4 inches and do not have a barcode on the back, whereas the current versions of the IRCs printed by the Universal Postal Union are approximately 3.75 inches by 6 inches and can be distinguished by the barcode on the back. Images of the front and back of both the old and current IRCs are shown on pages 20-21 of this issue of the Postal Bulletin. Note: The images of the IRCs are shown in the same size even though, as mentioned above, the pre-2002 IRCs are smaller than the current IRCs.
Pre-2002 IRC Current IRC International Mail Manual (IMM) 73, Duane, WV2B "The reward of a thing well done is to have done it."- Ralph Waldo Emerson
