International reply coupons allow individuals to pay for postage in any UPU member country when sending correspondence that requires a reply to a recipient in another member country, without the hassle of obtaining foreign stamps or sending money through the post. Coupons can be purchased from the sender’s postal service and exchanged for stamps at the recipient’s post office. Coupons expire every three years.
An international reply coupon is a coupon that can be redeemed for postage in any of the member countries of the Universal Postal Union (UPU). It is normally included with correspondence that has been sent by an individual from a UPU member country to a recipient in another member country and that requires a reply. The purpose of the international reply coupon is to allow the sender to pay the postage for the recipient’s reply without the hassle of obtaining foreign stamps or sending money through the post.
When an individual sends correspondence that requires a reply to a recipient in the same country, it is customary to include a stamped, self-addressed envelope. This system allows the sender to cover the shipping costs of the recipient’s response. However, if the correspondence is to be sent to a recipient in a foreign country, self-addressed envelopes are of no use, since postage stamps cannot be used to send mail from outside the country that issued them. Obtaining stamps that are valid in the recipient’s country can be difficult, and currency sent through the post can be lost or stolen. Therefore, another payment method is necessary for international reply postage.
The international reply coupon system was devised by the UPU in 1906 as a solution to this problem. Under this system, an individual in one of the 188 UPU member countries can purchase an international reply coupon from the UPU country’s postal service. The coupon is attached to an email sent to a recipient in another UPU member country. This coupon can later be exchanged at the recipient’s post office for stamps with which he can send her reply.
All UPU member countries are required to issue postage in exchange for valid international reply coupons. It should be noted, however, that member countries are not required to sell coupons, and some choose not to. Even within coupon-selling countries like the US, coupons may be available only at major post offices or those offices where coupons are in regular demand. Information on the availability of international reply coupons can usually be found on the postal service websites of UPU member countries.
New international response coupons are issued at three-year intervals. Coupons expire at the end of each three-year period. Therefore, coupon holders should be careful to note the expiration date printed on their coupons, and should use them or redeem them for new ones before they expire.
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