Cracking the code to sending a letter | Stamps

In terms of making stamps ready for the future, Royal Mail is missing a trick (‘Eventually it will just be a barcode, won’t it?’ Why Britain’s new stamps are causing outrage and upset, 4 July). In Germany, there is a system where you request an eight-digit alphanumeric code to write on your letter in place of a stamp. It costs as much as a regular stamp, but of course you don’t need to leave your home to buy a stamp from a branch, possibly with restricted opening times that clash with your working hours or that you can only reach by car.

While I recognise that written codes are worthless to stamp collectors, they’re a godsend to anyone who needs to send off some urgent paperwork and who writes letters far too irregularly to buy a whole set of stamps.
Katharina Fritsch
Brandenburg, Germany

Thank you for alerting me to the existence of the Handwritten Letter Appreciation Society. I certainly still use stamps, as I write many letters and cards, including at least 80 Christmas cards with letters enclosed. And I enjoy receiving them just as much. I shall apply to join the society forthwith!
Jane Gregory
Emsworth, Hampshire