First class stamp cost: How much are first and second class stamps 2026

The cost of a first-class stamp has risen to £1.80, continuing a relentless series of price hikes for UK consumers.

The 10p rise comes into force on April 7, 2026, while a second-class stamp rises by 4p from 87p to 91p.

First-class stamps previously rose from £1.35 in April 2024 to £1.65 in October 2024, before rising again in April 2025 to £1.70.

April 2026's price rise marks the eighth increase in just six years.

In fact, the 91p charge to send a second-class letter is nearly the same price it cost to send one first-class at the start of 2022—which was 95p.

Since 2020 (when it cost just 76p), the price of a first-class stamp has skyrocketed by 137%, while second-class stamps are up 40%—as you can see in the following chart that shows historical and current stamp prices in the UK:

Anne Pardoe, Head of Policy at Citizens Advice, heavily criticised the April 2026 price hikes, saying: "The price of stamps can't be treated as a dial that is turned up without a clear justification for consumers, forcing people to dig deeper into their pockets for a failing service."

She added: “Things only risk getting worse when cuts to delivery days and reduced performance targets come into full effect. Against this backdrop, Ofcom simply cannot wave through these increases any longer."

Indeed, regulator Ofcom approved major reforms to the Universal Postal Service in July 2025. As a result, Royal Mail's second-class letters have now moved to an alternate weekday delivery model (Monday to Friday, three days a week), meaning Saturday deliveries for second-class mail have been completely scrapped to save money. First-class letters and parcels remain unaffected.

Furthermore, new quality targets coming into effect from 1 April 2026 have officially dropped Royal Mail's first-class on-time delivery requirement from 93% to 90%, despite Ofcom fining the postal service £21 million in late 2025 for repeatedly missing its delivery targets.

Richard Travers, managing director of letters at Royal Mail, said the company "must adapt" to changing customer preferences and rising costs.

He said: "We always consider price changes very carefully, balancing affordability with the rising cost of delivering mail. On average, UK adults now spend just £6.50 each year on stamps and there are 70% fewer letters sent than 20 years ago. In the meantime, the number of addresses we deliver to has increased by four million to 32 million addresses across the UK."

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

As of August 2023, customers have only been able to use stamps that feature a barcode. Any without barcodes are not accepted. Users can still return old, non-barcoded everyday stamps to Royal Mail for a free exchange to a new, barcoded stamp via their 'Swap Out' scheme.

Royal Mail stamps

Here is how much it will cost to send standard and large letters via Royal Mail both first class and second class in April 2026 compared to April 2025. (Note: Standard and Signed For parcel prices have also increased by up to £1.75 per item across various weight bands in 2026).

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