Stamp prices rise again – just in time for Christmas… and just six months after last hike!

In a move that could see you editing your Christmas card list down to single figures, stamp prices are on the rise again tomorrow – a mere six months after the previous increase.

A standard first-class stamp will rise from £1.35 to £1.65 – up 30p, or 22 per cent, with a large letter first-class one soaring from £2.10 to £2.60 – up 50p, or 24 per cent. 

Other Royal Mail delivery services including ‘Signed For’, ‘Special Delivery Guaranteed’ and ‘Tracked’ will also cost more. 

Royal Mail has blamed the hefty hike on the collapse in the number of letters sent – just a third of the 20 billion UK peak in 2004/2005.

A standard first-class stamp rose from £1.10 to £1.25 in October 2023, then to £1.35 in April this year.

Royal Mail has said the hike is due to the drop in letters sent – which is just a third of the 20 billion peak in 2004/2005 (file photo)

However, there will be no change to the price of second-class stamps, which will remain at 85p for a standard second-class one, and £1.55 for a larger letter second-class stamp.

As long as the stamp just says the postage class, and does not contain a price, it will still be valid after the hike.

Nick Landon, chief commercial officer at Royal Mail, said: ‘We always consider price increases very carefully. However, when letter volumes have declined by two-thirds since their peak, the cost of delivering each letter inevitably increases.

‘A complex and extensive network is needed to get every letter and parcel across the country for a single price – travelling on trucks, planes, ferries and in some cases drones before it reaches its final destination [delivered] on foot. We are proud to deliver the universal service, but the financial cost is significant.’