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The Money Saving Expert has shared a tip to “beat the increase”
Royal Mail has increased the price of a stamps by 3% which will be implemented on April 7. The Money Saving Expert has shared a tip to “beat the increase” this spring.
The 5p increase means people will have to spend £1.70 to buy a first-class stamp. The price of a second-class stamp will also increase by 2p to 87p on the same day. Martin Lewis, founder of MoneySavingExpert.com suggests people stock up on their stamps before they rise in price. If you buy them at their current price now, you’ll still be able to use them after prices go up.
He said: “For years, every time stamps go up in price I’ve suggested people stock up and bulk-buy in advance, as provided the stamp doesn’t have a price on it and instead just says the postage class, it’s still valid after the rise.
“This has been an effective tactic, as a first-class letter stamp is now £1.65, soon rising to £1.70 – in 2012 it was just 60p. So while it’s not a huge saving this time, you still may as well stock up now.”
The cost of many of Royal Mail’s ‘Signed For’, ‘Special Delivery Guaranteed’ and ‘Tracked’ services will also increase from Monday April 7, as will the cost of sending parcels by first and second class. Since 2022, Royal Mail has already hiked the cost of a first-class stamp five times from 85p to £1.65. In October 2024, the price of first class stamps went up by 22% to the current £1.65.
Nick Landon, chief commercial officer at Royal Mail said: “We always consider price changes very carefully but the cost of delivering mail continues to increase.” He added: “A complex and extensive network of trucks, planes and 85,000 posties is needed to ensure we can deliver across the country for just 87p. The company said the decision carefully considered “balancing affordability with the increasing cost of delivering mail.”
On July 31 2023, Royal Mail got rid of everyday non-barcoded stamps to replace them with barcoded ones. You can no longer use non-barcoded stamps, but you can still exchange them for the new versions for free.
Royal Mail offer a “Swap Out” scheme for stamps worth up to £200, or a bulk stamp ‘Swap Out’ form for stamps worth more than £200. If you don’t have a printer, you can request a form on the Royal Mail website or pick one up from your local Post Office. Both forms include instructions on where to send your stamps.
There is no deadline for the swap, but the Money Saving Expert suggests doing it sooner rather later in case the scheme closes. For more information on the ‘Swap Out’ scheme, see Royal Mail’s website.
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