Postage Stamps Are Jumping Up in Cost Again. Here’s the Last Day to Buy Before the Proposed Price Hike

It might be time to start restocking those Forever stamps before July 12.

That’s because the United States Postal Service (USPS) announced that it is proposing a price hike to go effect after that date.

Should the plan go through, Americans could see the price of a first-class Forever stamp go up by five cents, from 73 to 78 cents, starting July 13.

Related: Betty White’s Stamp Is Here — How It Pays Homage to Her Legacy and Animal Advocacy

The postal agency said it filed notice with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) on Wednesday, April 9, about the price change recommendation.

“As changes in the mailing and shipping marketplace continue, these price adjustments are needed to achieve the financial stability sought by the organization’s Delivering for America 10-year plan. USPS prices remain among the most affordable in the world,” the postal agency said in a news release.

In addition to first-class stamps, the price hike will affect metered letters (from 69 cents to 74 cents), international postage (from $1.65 to $1.70) and domestic postal cards (from 56 cents to 62 cents).

The USPS said the PRC will review the recommendation before the changes are scheduled to take effect on July 13,

To understand how much the cost of U.S. postage has changed in the last 40 years, the price of a first-class stamp in 1985 was only 22 cents.

Related: 4 Women to Run World’s Remotest Post Office in Antarctica — With No Running Water or Toilets

Last July, the price of a first-class stamp went from 68 cents to 73 cents. At the time, that price hike matched the largest increase in the postal agency’s history, the Miami Herald reported.

The announcement of the proposed increase comes amid recent and potential changes happening for the Postal Service,

On March 24, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy resigned after leading the agency for nearly five years.

“I believe strongly that the organization is well positioned and capable of carrying forward and fully implementing the many strategies and initiatives that comprise our transformation and modernization, and I have been working closely with the Deputy Postmaster General to prepare for this transition,” DeJoy said in a statement.

Related: Alex Trebek to Be Honored with U.S. Postal Service Stamp — and Its Release Is on His Would-Be 84th Birthday

“While our management team and the men and women of the Postal Service have established the path toward financial sustainability and high operating performance – and we have instituted enormous beneficial change to what had been an adrift and moribund organization – much work remains that is necessary to sustain our positive trajectory,” he added.

In December 2024, then President-elect Donald Trump suggested privatizing the USPS in order for it to compete with shipping rivals such as Amazon, UPS and FedEx, the Associated Press reported.

In February, Trump said he might place the postal agency — which has operated as an independent organization for 55 years — under the Commerce Department’s control, per AP. The idea of privatizing the Postal Service has also garnered support from Elon Musk, who oversees the  Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), per The New York Times.

However, the National Association of Letter Carriers oppose privatization, arguing it would jeopardize postal jobs and affect delivery service, especially in rural communities. 

Read the original article on People