Pitney Bowes DM550 Adding Postage, Postage By Phone, Your Postage Meter Usps Rekey Requirements

6 • Adding Postage

Postage By Phone®

Postage By Phone® Meter Payment System is a Pitney Bowes service that you use to add postage to your meter. You can access the Postage By Phone® System 24 hours a day, 7 days a week through your IntelliLink® Control Center. For more information, refer to the Postage By Phone® System materials furnished with your system.

Your Postage Meter

USPS Rekey Requirements

If you need assistance with Postage By Phone® System

If you need assistance, have your account number ready and call the Postage By Phone® System number. Refer to the Pitney Bowes Contact Information List at the front of this guide for the phone number.

The postage meter on your mailing system is a Postal Security Device (PSD) that incorporates the latest technology approved by the United States Postal Service to secure funds. This technology eliminates the need to perform physical inspections thereby making the system easier and more convenient to use. The PSD contains the funds and performs all of the calculations necessary to print meter stamps that comply with the latest USPS standards.

The United States Postal Service (USPS) licenses your meter and re- quires a modem inspection of the meter. Each time you refill your meter or check your Postage By Phone® System account balance, the Pitney Bowes Data Center automatically performs a postal inspection.

If the meter in your mailing machine has not detected a modem refill transaction in 90 days, the message “Inspection Due” displays on the IntelliLink® Control Center main screen.

If the meter has not detected a refill in 120 days, the message “Inspection Required” displays and you cannot use your meter.

In either case you must perform a refill. If you don’t need to add funds at this time, check your Postage By Phone® System account balance (see Checking Your Postage By Phone® Meter Payment System Account Bal- ance in this chapter). This satisfies the inspection requirements.

If you have questions, call the Postage By Phone® System number. Refer to the Pitney Bowes Contact Information List at the front of this guide for the phone number.

The United States Postal Service (USPS) also requires, for security rea- sons, that the meter keys expire after 3-6 years. Meter keys are crypto- graphic codes that your system uses to protect your funds during printing and when connecting to your account.

When the meter keys expire, the system reports that a rekey operation is required.

To rekey your meter, perform a refill. This upgrades the keys. If you do not perform a refill within three months of the rekey message, the system locks the meter and does not allow you to print postage.

You may still perform a refill to upgrade the keys and resume operation.

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