First-class stamp price hike to £1.70 in April 

First-class stamps to rise once more from 7 April 2025 with Second-class rising to 87p

This Spring we’re set to see yet one more spherical of stamp worth hikes because the Royal Mail continues to beat price pressures and financial challenges. Final yr the price of stamps went up 4 instances, with the final improve solely taking place in October.

Right here, we clarify how a lot stamps will price from April and methods to beat the hike.

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How a lot are stamp costs rising?

First-class stamp costs will rise by 5p from 7 April 2025, taking the whole price for the standard stamp from £1.65 to £1.70. That’s a 3% improve. Plus, it follows a 22% rise in October the place the worth elevated by 30p.

In the meantime, First-class massive letter stamps are rising by 55p to £3.15 – a 21% improve. The price of Second-class stamps can be rising by 2p to 87p.

Stamp costs from 7 April 2025

The desk beneath rounds up what stamps will price to put up normal and enormous letters from April

Royal Mail may even improve postage costs for a lot of of its its “Particular Supply Assured”, “Signed For”, 1st and 2nd Class Parcels and “Tracked” supply providers from 7 April. A full checklist of postage costs is out there here.

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Learn how to beat the stamp worth hike

There are a few postal hacks that can assist you beat the stamp worth improve and save on sending letters. 

The primary is to start out stocking up on stamps now earlier than they improve. In the event you’re an avid letter-sender this might enable you minimize the price of postage considerably. 

One other option to beat the worth hike is to think about using a slower supply service. For instance, sending a normal letter by second-class put up.

The desk beneath exhibits how a lot you may save by choosing second-class stamps.

It’s value noting that second-class supply goals to ship inside three working days (fairly than the following working day as with first-class).  This isn’t an enormous deal in case your letter isn’t pressing.

Nevertheless, you’ll must plan upfront in case your letter wants to achieve the recipient by a particular date. 

The place doable, attempt to buy stamps out of your native Put up Workplace or one other authorised retailer (similar to a grocery store or WH Smiths) to save lots of as nicely.

Typically nook outlets and even distributors on Amazon sell stamps at a marked-up price and there’s been an inflow of faux stamps coming into the UK that may be laborious to identify.

Keep in mind to swap out non-barcoded stamps

Non-barcoded stamps, that are also called on a regular basis stamps, expired on 31 July 2023. 

These stamps featured the enduring image of the late Queen’s profile on a solid-coloured background. And also you’ll have seen them all over the place as they have been generally used to put up letters. 

Since 1 August 2023, Royal Mail launched barcodes into stamps to combine the postal service with the digital world. 

Don’t fear In the event you nonetheless have non-barcoded stamps mendacity round as you may trade them utilizing the Royal Mail’s ‘Stamp Swap Out.’

This free-to-use scheme allows you to commerce within the previous stamps for the brand new barcoded variations. You’ll have to make use of a particular type to mail them off which you’ll choose up at your native Put up Workplace or print it off on-line. 

Try our non-barcoded stamps guide to search out out extra about how the scheme works.