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Stamp prices are set to soar next week, but there are ways to dodge the hike.
The cost of a standard first-class stamp will leap from £1.35 to £1.65—a 22% surge—starting on Monday, October 7.
Meanwhile, a large first-class stamp will climb from £2.10 to £2.60, marking a 24% rise. Royal Mail attributes this increase to the dwindling number of letters posted.
The trend of rising stamp costs continues unabated. Just last year, a standard first-class stamp went from £1.10 to £1.25 in October 2023, before reaching £1.35 in April 2024.
Prices for other Royal Mail services like “Signed For”, “Special Delivery Guaranteed”, and “Tracked” are also going up from Monday.
However, there’s a silver lining for second-class users, with prices holding steady at 85p for a standard stamp and £1.55 for the larger variant. Those planning a Christmas card mailing spree can outsmart the price jump by stocking up on stamps over the weekend reports the Mirror.
As long as stamps display the class without a price, they remain valid post-increase. Nick Landon, Royal Mail’s chief commercial officer, commented: “We always consider price increases very carefully. However, when letter volumes have declined by two-thirds since their peak, the cost of delivering each letter inevitably increases.
“A complex and extensive network is needed to get every letter and parcel across the country for a single price – travelling on trucks, planes, ferries and in some cases drones before it reaches its final destination [delivered] on foot. We are proud to deliver the universal service, but the financial cost is significant.”
This follows the news that Royal Mail has modernised traditional stamps by adding barcodes, retaining only ‘special stamps’ and Christmas editions without this feature. For those holding onto older stamps, they can take advantage of the Royal Mail’s “Swap Out” programme.
Customers looking to exchange must fill out a ‘Swap Out’ form accessible via the Royal Mail website or by contacting them directly at 03457 740740, or by collecting one from their local Post Office branch. If you’re unable to print the online form, a web form submission can request the physical form be mailed out.
Once you’ve filled out the necessary forms, send your old stamps back using the Freepost address given, and wait for your new barcode-equipped stamps, which should arrive within seven days.
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