America Online and E-Stamp to Offer Breakthrough Online Postage Services

E-Stamp Internet Postage offers consumers and small businesses the value and convenience of securely purchasing postage online and printing "digital stamps" anytime on envelopes, labels or onto a document using their personal computer and standard printer.

Here's how it works: Once E-Stamp Internet Postage has been installed, AOL members or other Internet users can buy and print postage anytime from the Web or directly from leading desktop software applications, such as Microsoft Word.

The E-Stamp Internet Postage software automatically verifies the address and prints the correct postage onto an envelope or directly onto a document, simultaneously deducting the postage amount from the customer's account.

E-Stamp has been approved by the U.S. Postal Service to provide consumers and small businesses with its online postage services in limited test markets. E-Stamp expects to have national approval in early 1999 and at that time will make the service available nationwide.
E-Stamp will be a partner in AOL's new Postage Services Center, scheduled to launch in early 1999. As part of the agreement, E- Stamp will extend special, exclusive offers and promotions available only to AOL members.

The E-Stamp Internet Postage service will also be available to CompuServe members and visitors to AOL.COM and Digital City through new Postage Centers soon to be available on each brand.

These Postage Centers will feature direct links to E-Stamp's Website, e-stamp.com(TM), where members and Web-based consumers can purchase postage using a major credit card, transferring funds electronically or pre-paying by check, the value of which will be stored in the customer's account.

Barry Schuler, President of AOL Interactive Services, said "E- Stamp's easy-to-use services are a great match with our goal of offering more convenient ways to handle the things that are important in our members' everyday lives. We believe E-Stamp's services will be very appealing to our members and Web-based users -- saving them trips to the post office."

"We think there's a great market for this service on AOL," continued Schuler. "30% of the 2.6 million small businesses online in the U.S. are on AOL(a). That market share, on top of the hundreds of thousands of business-minded consumers who rely on the CompuServe service, provides our new online Postage Services Centers and E-Stamp an audience that we think will be very receptive to time-saving services like this."

Sunir Kapoor, president and CEO of E-Stamp Corporation, said "AOL and CompuServe members and Web-based users know that AOL brands offer safe and secure communities where consumers have become increasingly comfortable conducting electronic commerce. Those trusted brands are the perfect place for people to try and use E-Stamp Internet Postage and eliminate the hassle of going to the post office."

Within AOL, the new Postage Services Center will be available through the popular WorkPlace Channel. Designed for people seeking to advance in their careers, the AOL WorkPlace Channel has emerged as a leading professional and career site in cyberspace.

The WorkPlace Channel features Professions areas, where professionals can meet clients, suppliers, and partners in more than 80 industries; Business Research where members can quickly gather data on companies, people, and industry trends; and Classifieds, offering one of the largest consolidations of job and business opportunities online.

About E-Stamp

E-Stamp Corporation is committed to transforming the way people purchase and use postage by making online postal services convenient and hassle-free. E-Stamp is the first company to develop and market a secure Internet-based software solution that enables customers to generate online postage from their existing PCs and printers.

E-Stamp Internet Postage is an online service for small businesses that want an easy and convenient way to buy and use postage. Unlike stamps and meters, E-Stamp Internet Postage allows people to buy and print postage anytime directly from the Web or leading desktop software applications such as Microsoft Word.