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Martin Lewis has urged people to stock up on a common £1.10 item before October 2 through his Money Saving Expert website.
The Royal Mail is set to increase the price of first class stamps by 14% for standard sized letters in October from £1.10 to £1.25, while first class stamps for larger letters will increase by 22% from £1.60 to £1.95. Second class stamps for standard letters will remain the same at 75p; though they did go up in April; though large letters will increase from £1.15 to £1.55, a 35% increase, MyLondon reports.
The cost of Royal Mail’s “Signed For” and “Special Delivery Guaranteed” services will also increase from the same date, as will its Parcelforce “Worldwide Next Day” and “Two Day UK” services.
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Martin Lewis, founder of MoneySavingExpert.com, 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 hike.
“This has been an effective tactic, as a first-class letter stamp is now £1.10, soon to be rising to £1.25 – in 2012 it was just 60p. So you may as well stock up now, even if it’s just for Christmas cards for the next few Christmases.”
Royal Mail says the price hike is due to the cost of living and the universal service obligation, which require it to deliver letters to all UK address from Monday to Saturday. The postal service said: “The cost of delivering an ever-decreasing number of letters to an ever-growing number of households six days a week is unsustainable.”
Check the full list of price rises here.
