Postal Service: Proposed Policy to Accept Credit and Debit Cards Makes
Sense Conceptually (Letter Report, 06/16/94, GAO/GGD-94-154).

The Postal Service's decision to accept credit and debit cards at post
offices across the country makes sense because of the (1) potential
convenience to postal customers; (2) potential cash management benefits
to the Postal Service; and (3) acceptance of these cards by government
agencies and businesses, particularly by Postal Service competitors.
Before the Service can implement such a policy nationwide, however,
several issues must be resolved, such as whether to accept cards only at
larger post offices and whether to accept them at both windows and
vending machines. The Service is now pilot testing card use at post
office windows in Florida; Texas; Washington, D.C., and its Maryland and
Virginia suburbs; and in vending machines in California post offices.
The results of the test, scheduled to end by late 1994, will be needed
before the Service makes any recommendation on nationwide card
acceptance. Service officials say that they do not intend to expand card
acceptance beyond current locations until this decision is made.

--------------------------- Indexing Terms -----------------------------

 REPORTNUM:  GGD-94-154
     TITLE:  Postal Service: Proposed Policy to Accept Credit and Debit 
             Cards Makes Sense Conceptually
      DATE:  06/16/94
   SUBJECT:  Government sponsored enterprises
             Postal service
             Credit sales
             Cash management
             Testing
             Marketing
             Competition
             Cost effectiveness analysis
             Postal facilities
IDENTIFIER:  District of Columbia
             Dallas (TX)
             Fort Worth (TX)
             Orlando (FL)
             Maryland
             Virginia
             National Performance Review
             MasterCard
             VISA Credit Card
             
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