Royal Mail customers could be hit with extra postage fees in stamps shake up

Royal Mail customers could be hit with extra fees soon and comes as thousands of stamps are soon set to become unusable.

The postal company, who are currently taking part in strike action across a number of days this month, are set to add barcoded stamps to replace the traditional ones.

And once this happens, existing stamps will no longer be valid, according to the Echo.

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Currently, customers are being asked to either use the stamps before the deadline of January 31 2023, or swap them for the new barcoded ones using a “Stamp Swap Out” form.

After the end of January, postal customers will only be able to use barcoded stamps with the Queen’s profile on, or non-barcoded Christmas or special collection stamps. This means that if you send a letter or parcel with the older versions of the stamps, you could be hit with an extra fee.

And according to the Royal Mail’s website, a letter without postage currently incurs a £2 charge.

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Royal Mail’s “Swap Out” scheme lets you exchange the stamps for free by completing a form however an exchange system is now in place for those who don’t think they will be able to use the stamps before the deadline.

You need to use a standard form for stamps worth up to £200, or a bulk stamp form for stamps worth more than £200. You cannot take the stamps to the Post Office to be swapped.

Stamp Swap Out forms can be downloaded here. Alternatively, if you don’t have access to a printer you can request a Stamp Swap Out form to be posted to you here.

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