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.
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 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.