U.S. Postal Service Offers Last-Minute Gift Ideas

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Dec 20, 2012, 03:12 ET

There's Still Time to Greet, Gift and Mail

WASHINGTON, Dec. 20, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Need last-minute gifts? Customers who are too busy to shop this holiday season — or those who simply waited until the last minute — can send Holiday Greeting Cards and American Express Gift Cards to their family and friends. There is still time to find the perfect greeting card, add an American Express Gift Card and mail it. With the help of a local Post Office, last-minute holiday shopping lists can be checked off with one convenient stop.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121220/DC33448)

This year, the Postal Service is offering 28 individual holiday greeting card designs, 12 holiday boxed greeting card designs and one stationery design — all ideal for sending holiday greetings, letting loved ones know you care or recognizing someone's special efforts. The greetings cards are available in select Post Offices nationwide.

Customers can add a gift card for an extra touch. American Express Gift Cards are sold in 5,000 Post Offices and available in $25 and $50 denominations, or any value between $25 and $100. Customers can buy up to $500 in American Express Gift Cards per day and funds are available four hours after purchase. Industry standard purchase charges apply.

"For last minute shoppers, we are highlighting the postal products and services that make holidays less stressful, less hectic — and yes, simpler — for our customers," said Kelly Sigmon, vice president, Channel Access. "What could be easier than picking up a greeting card, enclosing an American Express Gift card, mailing it off and you're done," she said. "You've still got time."

It's Dec. 21 and you still need to mail? Use The Priority Mail Gift Card Flat Rate Envelope. Big enough for even oversized greeting cards, it comes with a special pouch inside the envelope to house a gift card. And since it's a Priority Mail Flat Rate envelope, you get 2- to 3-day expedited service to domestic addresses for the low, flat rate of $5.15.

It's Dec. 22 and you still forgot Aunt Sue? Problem solved when you use the Postal Service's speediest offering, Express Mail to deliver packages guaranteed overnight to most locations. Express Mail service offers delivery 365 days a year with no Saturday delivery charges, residential surcharges or fuel surcharges. Sunday and holiday delivery is available to many ZIP Codes. Express Mail pricing is competitive and customers save even more when they ship online. To find the guaranteed delivery times for Express Mail items, click here. Express Mail always includes insurance up to $100 at no extra charge.

Busy shoppers can relax — there's still time to shop and ship by visiting a Post Office or shopping online at usps.com/holiday.

To find a Post Office location near you that offers American Express Gift Cards for sale click here.

Customers can visit the Postal Service Holiday Blog for additional holiday mailing and shipping tips, and get the best advice from resident holiday experts for sending holiday cards, letters and packages this holiday season. New insights are regularly posted to help customers sail through this busy and joyous season.

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation — 151 million residences, businesses and Post Office™ Boxes. The Postal Service™ receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations. With 32,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, usps.com®, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $65 billion and delivers nearly 40 percent of the world's mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 35th in the 2011 Fortune 500. In 2011, Oxford Strategic Consulting ranked the U.S. Postal Service number one in overall service performance of the posts in the top 20 wealthiest nations in the world. Black Enterprise and Hispanic Business magazines ranked the Postal Service as a leader in workforce diversity. The Postal Service has been named the Most Trusted Government Agency for six years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute.

Follow the Postal Service on www.twitter.com/USPS and at www.facebook.com/USPS

SOURCE U.S. Postal Service