Royal Mail boosts support for millions of lower-income households

Lower-income households on Universal Credit are set to receive significant discounts on Royal Mail’s Redirection service when they move home, the company has announced.

From November 29, all customers on Universal Credit, which covers six means tested benefits, will pay the equivalent of just £5 a month for a six or twelve-month redirection – equivalent to less than 20p a day.

Universal Credit customers who choose to take up the minimum three-month service will also benefit from improved discounts with a single customer paying a price of £22.50 (equivalent to £7.50 a month) and all other household sizes paying £30 (or £10 a month).⁴

The new concessionary price will be available for customers receiving any of the six means tested benefits that make up Universal Credit. These include: Child Tax Credit, Housing Benefit, Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and Working Tax Credit. For customers of non-working age, Royal Mail is also offering the new concession to those in receipt of Pension Credit.

The initiative builds on Royal Mail’s drive to give lower-income households more access to its Redirection service. Customers on income-based Job Seeker’s Allowance and Pension Credit already receive a discount on the standard price of a Redirection. From November 29, these customers will see their discount increase and brought in line with the new concession prices.

To further improve access to its Redirection service, Royal Mail is also launching a new dedicated phone line for customers receiving Universal Credit and Pension Credit when they apply for the new discounted redirection rates.

 Nick Landon, Chief Commercial Officer at Royal Mail, said: “Moving home can be a difficult and stressful process. UK households rely on Royal Mail’s Redirection service for convenience and peace of mind. It helps to ensure they don’t miss important mail such as medical appointments and financial documents or fall foul of identity fraud. We want to make our Redirection service more accessible to lower-income customers. This will mean that everyone from single adults to larger households on Universal Credit can make significant savings on standard prices when they move home.”