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Households have until January 31 to use up any existing stamps with the Queen’s head and ‘1st’ or ‘second class’ wording – including seasonal ones such as Christmas editions
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Households have until January 31 to use up any stamps they may already have – including seasonal ones such as Christmas stamps.
After January 31 next year, the stamps will no longer be usable and to redeem them, you will have to pay a surcharge.
The only exception is ‘special’ commemorative stamps, such as the Doctor Who collection, as these will continue to work until after 31 January 2023.
Royal Mail will let you ‘Swap Out’ these stamps for free.
You will, however, be able to exchange current stamps for barcoded ones for free under Royal Mail’s new ‘Swap Out’ scheme, which opens on 31 March 2022 and will run until 31 March 2023.
This will be via a ‘Swap Out’ form on the Royal Mail website.
You’ll then have to post the no longer valid stamps back.
Martin Lewis, founder of MoneySavingExpert.com, warned people to use their stamps up to avoid being left out of pocket.
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 hike. This has been an effective tactic, as a first class letter stamp is now 85p – a decade ago it was just 60p.
“So this change will come as a shock to the many stamp hoarders out there. It’s the first time I can remember you’ve not been able to just lick it and stick it. And we don’t yet know if you’ll still be able to swap the stamps after March 2023, so this is a call to arms (or tongues) to ensure you either use ‘em or swap ‘em.”
The rule change is because Royal Mail is moving to a more secure barcode system, which those stamps don’t have on them.
Royal Mail says the barcode on the new stamps will provide “additional security features” that will support its efforts to improve the safety of the post it handles.
Each barcode will have a “digital twin” that can be connected using the Royal Mail app, although the barcodes will not allow users to track their post.
Non-barcoded stamps have already begun to be phased out. Post Offices and shops that sell stamps will receive stocks of barcoded ones over the next few months.
Each retailer will continue to sell their existing stamps until their last remaining batch runs out.
