First class stamp cost: How much are first and second class stamps 2024

The cost of a first class stamp will rise to £1.35 just six months after another price hike.

The 10p rise came into force on April 2 2024, while a second class stamp will also rise by 10p to 85p.

First class stamps already rose from £1.10 to £1.25 in October 2023, with April's increase the fourth in two years.

In fact, the 85p charge to send a second class letter is the same price it cost to send one first class at the start of 2022.

Morgan Wild, of Citizens Advice, said: “Royal Mail is choosing to hike prices at a time when millions are left waiting for letters - vital medical appointments, legal documents and benefit decisions - all thanks to post delays. Nobody should be paying more for an unreliable service."

Royal Mail said it is delivering less than half the number of letters it has capacity for. People now receive only two letters a week on average, it said, but the cost of stamps was still below European averages.

Nick Landon, chief commercial officer at Royal Mail, said: "We always consider price changes very carefully, but we face a situation where letter volumes have reduced dramatically over recent years while costs have increased.

"It is no longer sustainable to maintain a network built for 20 billion letters when we are now only delivering seven billion.

"As a result of letter volume decline, our posties now have to walk more than three times as far to deliver the same number of letters as before, increasing the delivery costs per letter."

Ofgem said it caps the price of second class stamps "to make sure an affordable option is always available".

As of August 1 2023, customers have only been able to use stamps that feature a barcode. Any without barcodes are not accepted. Users can return old stamps to Royal Mail for an exchange to a new, barcoded stamp.

Royal Mail stamps

Here is how much it will cost you to send a letter and parcel via Royal Mail both first class and second class in 2024 compared to 2023.

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