Royal Mail stamps ‘invalid’ after today will cost those who try to use them

Royal Mail has issued a final warning to Britons in possession of “regular” stamps that will expire today.

From tomorrow, Tuesday, August 1, any item sent with an “old-style” stamp will be deemed “insufficient” for postage and incur a charge of £1.10.

The changes will impact any non-barcoded stamps that feature the late Queen Elizabeth II’s profile set on a plain background.

These are known as “everyday stamps” which are different to “special issue stamps” which are printed to commemorate a person or event.

Today, July 31 is the final day the Queen Elizabeth II stamps can be used for free, after which they will no longer be valid.

On their website, Royal Mail explained: “In February 2022 Royal Mail introduced barcodes to stamps for regular ‘everyday’ Definitive stamps and Christmas stamps

“Each barcode is unique and an integral part of the stamp, so you must keep the barcode attached otherwise they are invalid.”

The deadline marks the end of a six-month grace period from the initial 31 January deadline.

Special stamps, such as those with a picture or Christmas theme can still be used after today even if they do not have a barcode.

But before people rush to send off their post using non-barcoded stamps, they should be reassured that there is a way to avoid any extra charges from August 1.

The postal service claimed that barcoded stamps can either be used before the July deadline or swapped for new barcoded ones.

Non-barcoded stamps can be exchanged for new barcoded ones through the Royal Mail Stamp Swap Out scheme.

Royal Mail claimed that the red 1st class Queen Elizabeth II stamp, blue 2nd class version, purple £1.35 stamp and green £2.80 stamp are all eligible for being swapped.

This is exclusively online, so Britons should avoid trying to exchange stamps in Post Office branches as this will not be possible.

However, people can pick up application forms for the “Swap Out” scheme in their local branch. Alternatively, the PDF can be found online via the Royal Mail website. 

Those with access to a printer can swap out up to £200 worth of non-barcoded stamps by printing out and completing the form. 

Those who have a printer and wish to swap out more than £200 worth of stamps are advised to use the “Bulk Stamp Swap Out Form”.

People without a printer can request a form to be posted to their home address though they are limited to a cap of £200 worth of stamp swaps.