[Promotion-technology] no more easy dollar coin orders from the US Mint

[Hoffman, Allen]

FYI
For anyone who has used the easy ordering for the dollar 1 coins, not so
easy any longer.
 
The United States Mint has eliminated the credit and debit card purchase
of $1 Coins through its Direct Ship Program effective July 22, 2011.
Customers who wish to purchase $1 coins through the Direct Ship Program
can still do so by wire transfer, check, or money order. Customers who
wish to purchase the coins by wire transfer may fax their order to:
(202) 756-6585. Customers interested in purchasing by check or money
order may do so by writing to: 
United States Mint
PO Box 71192
Philadelphia, PA 19176-6192 
Please download the order form and follow the instructions provided on
the form. (Order Form
<http://www.usmint.gov/downloads/directship/orderForm.pdf> ).
The Mint has determined that this policy change is prudent due to
ongoing activity by individuals purchasing $1 coins with credit cards,
accumulating frequent flyer miles, and then returning coins to local
banks. Local banks, in turn, returned coins to the Federal Reserve.
While not illegal, this activity was a clear abuse and misuse of the
program. 
The Mint has undertaken several aggressive internal and external actions
to mitigate this issue, including restricting chronic and repeated use
of credit cards, contacting customers who frequently placed large
numbers of orders to ensure they were using the coins for legitimate
business purchases, and other measures. While these measures eliminated
a significant amount of misuse in the program, we believe some abuse
still exists. Eliminating the credit and debit card purchase of the $1
coin is the next step in our efforts to root out abuse in this program
and ensure it is better targeted toward fulfilling its intended
purpose-which is to get the $1 Coin into greater circulation.
Thank you for your understanding and your continued support of the $1
coin program.
 
 
Allen Hoffman