Pitney Bowes Inc. has praised Singapore Post for the post’s recent implementation of a postage discount for mail that is processed using a postage meter. The move, effective July 1, makes Singapore Post one of a growing number of national posts around the world that are passing lower transaction costs on to customers who use meters.

In announcing its decision, Singapore Post joins Royal Mail (UK), La Poste (France), India Post, An Post (Ireland), Norway Post, Finland Post, Sweden Post and others, in offering some form of discount or rebate on some or all segments of metered mail. The discounts are being offered because postage meters help them avoid the equivalent of millions of dollars in costs required to design, print, distribute, sell and account for postage stamps.

The discount offered to meter users provides an incentive for mailers to switch to the high-tech devices, because postage is usually one of the largest expenses a mailer faces. Pitney Bowes said that discounts of this kind stimulate effi ciency and innovation in the sector, a key objective not just for mailers and posts but also for independent postal regulators around the world.