Freepost is a postal service provided by various postal administrations, whereby a person sends mail without affixing postage, and the recipient pays the postage when collecting the mail. Freepost differs from self-addressed stamped envelopes, courtesy reply mail, and metered reply mail in that the recipient of the freepost pays only for those items that are actually received, rather than for all that are distributed. Freepost of preprinted cards issued by businesses is also different from postal stationery sold by postal administrations.
Uses
In one use of freepost, a business sends bulk mail to potential customers, the bulk mail including envelopes or postcards that potential customers can return to the business by freepost. In another use, magazines include subscription cards that potential subscribers can return by freepost. In another use, a seller can provide a merchandise return label bearing the appropriate freepost indicia (as described below) to a customer so that the customer can return the item to the seller by freepost upon issuance of a Return Merchandise Authorization.
A non-commercial use would be to return lost items belonging to a business. The item will have printed on the back "if found please return by freepost to <address>". For example, UK's NHS worker's RFID access cards can be returned by freepost if lost & found.
By country
Australia
In Australia, freepost is called Reply Paid. Specially printed envelopes are used, with the permit holder's address, the words "Reply Paid" with an authorization number. The stamp is replaced by three vertical black stripes and a postal bar code. The permit holder pays the postage plus a fee to the postal authority. The customer may also write the Reply Paid envelope out by hand. The delivery address is printed on the top left hand corner of the envelope. The delivery address may be the same as the postcode No stamp required if posted in Australia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Delivery Address: PO Box 1435 ALEXANDRIA NSW 1435
An important customer could have an RP number the same as the post code and the delivery address PO Box, to minimize errors even more.
Red Cross
Reply Paid 1435
ALEXANDRIA NSW 1435
Canada
To coordinate service with the United States, Canada Post uses the same terminology and the same standards as the USPS (as explained below), with the exception of the use of Canadian Postal codes.
United States
In the United States, the United States Postal Service refers to freepost as business reply mail. A mailer wishing to receive mail by freepost must obtain a business reply permit and design the envelopes, postcards, or labels according to the standards specified by the USPS, including the use of an appropriate FIM B or C code. The address on the envelope, postcard, or label is the same as the address for regular mail, except that the ZIP+4 code is different. In some large cities, business reply mail has its own five-digit ZIP code or codes (e.g., 20077 and 20078 in Washington, D.C.). The envelope or postcard also includes space for the business reply permit number.
United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, Royal Mail offers a variety of services. The most expensive service, Freepost Name, enables a customer to purchase a licence to a name which allows the public to send mail to the organisation free of charge using any envelope, and with the Freepost Name handwritten or printed. Only the licensed name is required on the envelope, not the postal address. In addition, Royal Mail offers a range of business reply services enabling a business to provide their customers with pre-printed envelopes in order to send mail to the business free of charge, including: Freepost Standard, Freepost Plus, Business Reply Standard, Business Reply Plus.
New Zealand
In NZ, freepost envelopes can be hand addressed by the sender; this simply requires including the word ‘FREEPOST’ and the recipient's name or permit number as part of the address. (This technique can not be used to send mail to merely anyone, who would then have to pay for it; the permit number and the recipient address must match for the recipient to be billed.)
The Netherlands
In the Netherlands, freepost is addressed exactly the same as normal mail. The recipient needs a special address: an answering number (antwoordnummer in Dutch). The sender can distinguish these addresses because they include the word 'antwoordnummer' and may choose whether or not to use a stamp. When no stamp is used, the recipient pays the costs plus a fee, but when the sender uses a stamp, no extra costs are made.