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Millions of “everyday” stamps will become worthless in just 100 days. Royal Mail has confirmed classic stamps will soon be invalid for postage as they are being replaced by ones with barcodes by January 31 next year.
It means you’ll either have to use up your old stamps by the end of January 2023 or exchange them for free through the Royal Mail “Swap Out” scheme. They can be swapped after the January deadline as the scheme doesn’t currently have an end date.
You will still be able to use themed, commemorative and non-barcoded Christmas stamps beyond January, reports The Mirror. However, any post sent from February 1 onwards with other non-barcoded stamps on it will be considered to have insufficient postage and you may be charged a fee.
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Royal Mail chief commercial officer Nick Landon has said: “As we move to this exciting new era of barcoded stamps, please check your kitchen drawers, wallets and purses for older non-barcoded stamps and make sure you use them up by 31 January 2023.”
The new barcode stamps, which were first introduced in February this year, allow people to scan their parcel through the Royal Mail app to watch videos and greeting messages from senders.
To exchange stamps, you can download a Swap Out form from the Royal Mail website or pick one up from a delivery office. If you want to download the form but don’t have access to a printer, you can fill out a form online instead and get it posted to you.
You then post back the stamps that you want to swap to a Freepost address and your new barcode stamps should arrive in seven days. A standard form can be completed for up to £200 worth of stamps, but you’ll need a “Bulk Stamp” form for higher value swaps.
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