2026 USPS Direct Mail Promotions: Save on Your Campaigns

What if your next direct mail campaign could not only capture attention, but also cut your postage costs by up to 10%? That’s exactly what the 2026 USPS promotions are built to do. Each year, the Postal Service offers a list of direct mail promotions that reward creativity, innovation, and smart marketing strategy. 

This year’s lineup introduces bigger discounts, a brand-new Catalog Insights promotion, and tech-driven incentives like QR codes and mobile shopping experiences. With the new 2026 USPS promotions calendar now live, Darwill’s expert mailers are ready to help you start planning how to leverage these savings for your 2026 direct mail campaigns.

2026 USPS Promotions Overview

Here’s a breakdown of the key promotions being offered under the 2026 USPS promotions program, and what they mean for your direct mail campaigns:

Tactile, Sensory, & Interactive Mailpiece Engagement

This promotion rewards mailpieces that engage more than just the visual. Exciting consumers’ senses by incorporating special finishes, embossing, textures, or other interactive elements for a multi-sensory experience. 

Incentive: 5% discount at the time of mailing

Registration Period: October 15, 2025 - June 30, 2026 

Promotion Period: January 1, 2026 - June 30, 2026

Integrated Technology (Including USPS Mobile Shopping Promotion)

This promo encourages mailers to bridge print with digital by incorporating technologies such as: 

• Augmented reality (AR)
• Mixed reality (MR)
• Virtual reality (VR)
• Near field communication (NFC)
• Video in print
• Artificial intelligence (AI)
• Multichannel mail integration with voice assistants
• Mobile shopping

Incentive: 5% at time of mailing 

Registration Period: November 15, 2025 - December 31, 2026 

Promotion Period: Begin participation at any time, and it continues for six months

Continuous Contact

The Continuous Contact promotion supports multiple touchpoint mailings. After an initial mailing, follow-up mailpieces to the same audience will build upon the first piece to qualify for the incentive. The result is an ongoing, targeted conversation with the recipient, and the potential to increase conversion rates.

Incentive: 5% discount at the time of mailing 

Registration Period: February 15, 2026 - December 31, 2026 

Promotion Period: April 1, 2026 - December 31, 2026

First-Class Mail Advertising

This promotion is aimed at helping businesses that mail reach their target audience with impactful advertisements. Whether it’s a standalone advertisement or incorporated into marketing messages, this First-Class mailing promotion offers an opportunity to captivate recipients' attention and drive engagement. 

Incentive: 5% discount at the time of mailing 

Registration Period: July 15, 2026 - December 31, 2026 

Promotion Period: September 1, 2026 - December 31, 2026

Catalog Insights 

For the first time, the USPS is offering a catalog-based promotion for qualifying mailings. This new promotion encourages mailers to use catalogs as a marketing tool.

There are a few requirements for this mailing, including: must be at least 12 pages, bound, and include a list of products or services offered for sale with visuals. The catalog mailpiece must contain enough information to allow an order to be placed and include fulfillment and ordering information.

Incentive: 10% at the time of mailing

Registration Period: August 15, 2025 — June 30, 2026 

Promotion Period: October 1, 2025 — June 30, 2026

Add-ons: Informed Delivery and Sustainability

These stackable add-ons let you further increase savings by layering on digital preview features (Informed Delivery) or using sustainable paper sources (Sustainability). 

Informed Delivery Incentive: 1% discount

Sustainability Incentive: 1% discount

The 2026 USPS promotions reward both creative mailpiece design and smarter campaign strategy (follow-ups, technology, catalog formats). Darwill helps you strategize mailings for these promotion windows and incorporates digital touches to maximize ROI.

USPS Promotions Calendar

Timing is everything when capitalizing on the 2026 USPS promotions calendar. Here are some key tips to remember when planning to use these direct mail promotions:

• Registration windows open ahead of each promotion. So, register early, don’t wait until the mailing starts. If you’re mailing in January, registration should be completed beforehand.
• Match your campaigns to the right window. If you’re planning a catalog mailing, it makes sense to align with the Catalog Insights window to get the full 10 % discount.
• Think ahead: the calendar for 2026 is live, so map your mail strategy now.

Direct Mail Tech Trends: QR Codes & Mobile Shopping

One of the most exciting parts of the 2026 USPS promotions is how they reward pieces that integrate digital elements like the direct mail QR code and mobile-shopping linkage. With Darwill’s long-standing expertise in both mailing and digital marketing, we know how to design and execute campaigns that qualify for these incentives. 

Under the Integrated Technology promotion, using a direct mail QR code that links to a mobile shopping experience or promotional landing page qualifies your piece for the discount. QR codes are a great way to bridge physical mail and digital engagement.

By making the mailpiece interactive with “Scan this QR code to shop” or “Visit our mobile site for exclusive offers” language, we’re helping you maximize both the user experience and your eligibility for the promo.

It’s not just about scanning; once you link to a landing page, you can track clicks, conversion rates, and tie the mail piece to digital behaviors. That helps demonstrate ROI for your direct mail campaigns. By treating direct mail as part of the bigger omnichannel journey, you can make the most out of the 2026 USPS promotions.

Direct Mail QR Code Tips

• Ensure a smooth mobile experience. If someone scans the QR code and they are brought to a broken page or a non-mobile-optimized site, you’ll hurt engagement and results (and ultimately the value of the mail piece).
• Try combining a QR code with an Informed Delivery add-on. Through Informed Delivery, mail recipients get a digital preview and a direct link to a landing page or mobile shopping experience. Pairing these promotions increases your savings and boosts user engagement.

Tips to Maximize Savings

1. Register and get pre-approval before mailing
2. Combine eligible promos (stacking)
3. Check all eligibility rules for mail classes and formats
4. Align creative and digital elements with promotion goals
5. Plan campaigns around the promo windows
6. Track engagement & ROI

Leverage 2026 USPS Promotions for Your Next Mailing

The 2026 USPS promotions reward innovation, forward planning, and a blend of digital elements in direct mail. From the new 10 % Catalog Insights discount to the tech-driven Integrated Technology promo with QR codes, the opportunities and savings for your mail campaigns are substantial.

To see the full details, check the official USPS Promotions & Incentives page. For help strategizing, designing, and executing your 2026 direct mail campaigns, contact Darwill. We’re ready to help you take full advantage of the 2026 USPS promotions.