All Royal Mail customers hit with three-day warning

Royal Mail customers have been given a three-day deadline.

People have until July 31 to “use up or swap out” their non-barcoded definitive stamps. After that date, an item with a non-barcoded stamp would be treated as if there is insufficient postage.

Any item that has insufficient postage is subject to a surcharge. The stamps that have changed feature a profile of Her Late Majesty The Queen and a barcode on a plain coloured background.

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Non-barcoded stamps can be exchanged for new barcoded versions through the Royal Mail’s ‘Stamp Swap Out’ scheme. To swap out your stamps, pick up or print out a swap out form, complete your form and include your stamps and send free of charge to “Freepost SWAP OUT”.

Most stamps are being barcoded, but not all stamps. All definitive stamps are being barcoded – including Christmas stamps.

Definitive stamps are the regular ‘everyday’ stamps featuring the profile of HM The Queen created by the sculptor Arnold Machin.

The Royal Mail isn’t barcoding special issue stamps, which are printed as a one off to commemorate a person or event. These remain valid as postage so don’t need to be swapped out.

Although Christmas stamps are being barcoded, previous years of non-barcoded Christmas stamps will remain valid as postage, so there is no requirement to swap them out.

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