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A major change is coming in for stamps in the UK – and no, we don’t just mean the late Queen’s portrait being replaced by that of King Charles and his cypher.
A new scheme is being introduced to digitalise stamps, and it means many people’s old stamps will no longer be valid.
But, before you despair over your mountain of First Class books, there is a way to exchange them.
Find out when the old stamps will expire and how to swap them out…
When do stamps expire?
Initially, the deadline for using old, non-barcoded stamps was January 31 this year.
However, this has now been extended for six months until Monday, July 31 2023 to allow people more time to use up old stamps.
After this date, regular stamps without the new digital barcode cannot be used.
The stamps that will need changing are the stamps many will be familiar with – it’s any stamp which features a profile of Queen Elizabeth II against a plain coloured background.
That is to say, any stamp which doesn’t also include a scannable barcode.
The barcodes are being added to stamps moving forward to enable new digital services.
The only stamps you don’t need to exchange are special issue stamps – these are often commemorative or include artwork of a famous person or place, like the recent Iron Maiden release.
These will remain valid without a barcode.
How to exchange your old stamps
Your non-barcoded stamps can be exchanged for the new barcoded version through the Stamp Swap Out scheme.
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To swap out your stamps, simply complete a Stamp Swap Out form and send it to Royal Mail along with your non-barcoded stamps.
If you have a printer, you can swap out up to £200 worth of non-barcoded stamps by printing out and completing this Stamp Swap Out form.
You can send the form free of charge, along with your stamps, by writing on the envelope ‘Freepost SWAP OUT’ – and no other address details or postcode are needed.
If you have a printer and more than £200 worth of stamps to swap out, then use the Bulk Stamp Swap Out form.
This must be sent to: Royal Mail, Swap Out, Tallents House, 21 South Gyle Crescent, Edinburgh, EH12 9PB.
If you don’t have access to a printer, you can request a Stamp Swap Out form to be posted to you by completing this form.
Stamp Swap Out forms are also available from the Customer Service Point at your local Delivery Offices.
Will stamps of Queen Elizabeth II still be valid if they have a barcode?
Another question you may be asking is: will stamps with the late Queen on them be valid once King Charles’ stamps come into circulation – if they DO have a barcode?
The answer is yes. Eventually, only stamps with the King’s portrait will be sold, so stamps of the late Queen will fall out of circulation naturally.
Until that point over the next few years, it’s inevitable we will see two monarchs on our post, with both QEII and KCIII stamps in use, something which has not been seen for many years.
This use of stamps is known as ‘mixed franking’ or in this case ‘mixed reigns’, and has previously occurred for the stamps of Edward VII and George V during 1911-13, George V and George VI during 1937-39, and George VI and Elizabeth II between 1952 and 1955.
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