USP Intercept – The Basics
USP Package Intercept® lets you redirect a domestic shipment that hasn’t been delivered or released for delivery.
What is USP Package Intercept?
USP Package Intercept® is a fee-based service that enables the sender OR recipient to:
- Hold for Pickup at the delivery Post Office of the destination or
- Return to Sender
for eligible domestic letters, flats and parcels that have a USPS® IMpb® (Intelligent Mail® Package Barcode).
If the item does not bear a USP IMpb, USP Package Intercept service is not possible. USP Package Intercept® is available in two (2) versions, residential and commercial. Not sure if your item qualifies for interception? Check your item’s IMpb Tracking number.
Note: Residential USP Package Intercept can’t be used for a tracking number beginning with a 92 or 93 prefix. It is available for all domestic mail classes except USP Marketing Mail® and Periodicals.
How does it work and time limits?
Upon request, items are intercepted at the delivery destination Post Office™ and then returned to the sender or Held for Pickup at the delivery Post Office as Hold for Pickup (but not to a PO Box™). USP Package Intercept® is not a guaranteed service and certain conditions apply.
1. Eligible you will need to verify the item is eligible for an intercept using either USP Tracking® or the eligibility checker on USP for all tracking numbers except those beginning with a 92 or 93. Regardless of where your mail item is along the mail stream, or what tracking messages you have received, if your package is eligible, you can proceed with a USP Package Intercept request.
2. Account whether you are the sender or recipient, you must have a USP account with a credit or debit card, Click to Pay stored in your profile, or Apple Pay to request USP Package Intercept.
- Register online and submit the USP Package Intercept request. (A credit or debit card, Click to Pay is required for payment of the USP Package Intercept and estimated postage fees.)
3. Time Limits once a request is made:
- USP Package Intercept® request are active for 7 business days from the date of the request.
- The Post Office™ will make every attempt to locate the item.
4. No guarantee that the item can be intercepted before delivery; but, if the item is eligible, the Post Office™ will make every attempt to locate the item.
- As long as the item is not showing as out for delivery or delivered, USP Package Intercept® will prevent delivery to the addressee. Based on your request, the item is redirected as either:
- Return to sender, or
- At the Delivery Post Office™ as Hold for Pickup (but not to a PO Box)
- The item may incur additional postage based on the directions of the mailer.
- All intercepted items, except those being returned to sender, are relabeled as new Priority Mail® pieces. Once intercepted, they are redirected at the applicable Priority Mail postage rate. You pay all fees ONLY if an intercept was possible.
- Commercially shipped packages can only be intercepted by a commercial mailer through the Business Customer Gateway. As information, commercially shipped packages typically contain a tracking number that begins with a “92” or “93”.
Note: You cannot edit or cancel your USP Intercept® request.
Residential Intercepts
If you are the sender or recipient, the person requesting the Residential USP Package Intercept must have a USP account and a credit or debit card, Click to Pay stored in your profile, or Apple Pay to intercept the item. Upon successful interception, the intercept fee and any applicable postage are charged to the person requesting USP Intercept. If the item is delivered before it can be intercepted, there is no charge. Get Started Now >
Note: You cannot edit or cancel your USP Intercept request.
Commercial USP Intercepts
If you are a commercial customer with a Enterprise Payment System (EPS) account, you can request USP Intercept by registering online and submitting your request through the USP Business Customer Gateway. As a commercial customer, you can intercept individually or in bulk.
Any applicable postage and fees for sending the intercepted item to a different location or for purchasing an Extra Service will be charged at the time of intercept – if the intercept is possible – or otherwise will be collected at the time of delivery by a USP carrier.
The USP Intercept fee applies for each mailpiece intercepted. No fee is charged until the item is found and your intercept request is processed. When the order summary page appears, you will see an “Estimated Total” for your USP Intercept order. Fees are estimated based on whatever information is available on your package – generally, weight and dimensions. Once the package is intercepted, your credit card will be charged an actual cost that may vary from the estimated total.
Additional postage and fees may be applicable to redirect the item as requested by the mailer and will be charged to the requestor’s method of payment, depending on whether a Residential or Commercial account was established, after a successful intercept. Get USP Intercept price information.
Extra Postage Fee Exceptions
Items originally mailed as Priority Mail Express®, and Priority Mail®, as well as First-Class Mail® being redirected to the sender, are not relabeled and bear no additional postage cost. Again, the intercept fee is charged at the time of successful intercept, or collected by the USP carrier at the time of delivery.
When requests for commercial intercepts are made through the Business Customer Gateway, postage and fees are automatically deducted from the customer’s ACH Debit or Credit (Trust Account), after a successful intercept. An ACH Debit or Credit (Trust Account) is required to pay the USPS Package Intercept fee and any applicable postage and fees (such as Extra Services) for the intercepted item.
What are other options for intercepted mail?
When a USP Intercept is requested, Extra Services can also be added to the intercepted item(s) when redirected to the sender or the delivery Post Office™ as a Hold for Pickup (but not to a PO Box™). No matter the original eligible mail class, when the item is relabeled as Priority Mail®, it is assigned a new mailing barcode and may include applicable Extra Services. Customers can continue to track the status of the Intercepted item using the original article tracking number.
Customers can choose from the following services:
- Adult Signature Required
- Adult Signature Restricted Delivery
- Insurance (but only if the original shipment included insurance and only at the original value stated)
- Signature Confirmation™
Extra Services Exceptions
- Extra Services cannot be added to items that are redirected to the sender, regardless of class.
- Return to Sender is the only intercept option available for Registered Mail® service. Registered Mail items are returned with the original Registered Mail number, and are not re-labeled or re-packaged.
USP Intercept® service is available for the mail classes listed below:
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Note: Commercially shipped packages can only be intercepted by a commercial mailer through the Business Customer Gateway. As information, commercially shipped packages typically contain a tracking number that begins with a “92” or “93”.
For a mailpiece to be eligible for the USP Intercept service, it must:
- Have a USP Tracking barcode or Extra Services barcode
- Be addressed to a domestic recipient APO/FPO/DPO addresses are excluded)
- Be addressed from a domestic sender
- Not measure more than 108 inches in length and girth combined
Notes:
- Return to Sender is the only intercept option available for Registered Mail® service. Registered Mail items are returned with the original Registered Mail number, and are not re-labeled or re-packaged.
- In addition, customers requesting intercept of Registered Mail pieces must write on the Registered Mail receipt “Withdrawn,” sign the receipt, and surrender the receipt to the Post Office™.