What is the purpose of an International Reply Coupon (IRC)?

The purpose of an International Reply Coupon (IRC) is to allow the sender to prepay for a reply. An IRC is a unique type of coupon that can be purchased and sent along with a letter or correspondence to a recipient in another country. When the recipient receives the IRC, they can redeem it in their local postal system to cover the cost of sending a reply back to the original sender. This ensures that the sender does not have to rely on the recipient's willingness or ability to pay for the reply postage, which can be particularly useful when communicating internationally.

In contrast, facilitating local deliveries pertains to services that address domestic postal issues, while exchanging for postage in other currencies is not the primary function of an IRC, as it specifically serves to prepay for replies rather than being a general currency exchange mechanism. Finally, paying for express shipping typically involves different types of postage or shipping services that cater to speed rather than the purpose of facilitating replies between correspondents.