The rise will mean the everyday item has gone up by 137% since 2020 – and money saving expert says people should buy them now
Martin Lewis has delivered an urgent warning to British households – to stockpile an item that’s set to surge by nearly 140%. The Royal Mail has announced it will hike the cost of stamps – marking the eighth increase since 2020.
Royal Mail will push up the price of 1st class stamps to £1.80 and 2nd class stamps to 91p, from April 6. The price of a 1st class stamp in 2020 stood at 76p. From April 7th 2026, customers will need to fork out £1.80 (up 10p), representing a 137% rise over six years. Since 2020, the price of a 1st class stamp has climbed eight times, Citizens Advice has revealed.
The price of numerous Royal Mail ‘Signed For’, ‘Special Delivery Guaranteed’ and ‘Tracked’ services will also jump from Tuesday 7 April, alongside the cost of dispatching parcels by first and second class. See a full list of prices.
In an update this week, personal finance guru Martin Lewis outlined why people should purchase stamps now to hoard them before the hike as they’ll remain valid for use. He stated: “For years, every time stamps go up in price I’ve suggested people stock up and bulk-buy in advance, as provided the stamp doesn’t have a price on it and instead just says the postage class, it’s still valid after the rise.
“This has been an effective tactic, as a first-class letter stamp is now £1.70, soon rising to £1.80 – in 2012 it was just 60p. So you may as well stock up now if you’re going to need stamps.” The last occasion Royal Mail hit an annual delivery target was in the fiscal year 2019-2020. This week, MPs accused Royal Mail of “lying” about its performance and “pretending” not to favour parcels over letters.
This comes amid worries that Royal Mail is failing to meet Ofcom’s timeliness targets for its deliveries, potentially resulting in millions of letters being delayed.
Labour MP Dave Robertson claimed his constituents are “sick of being lied to by Royal Mail”. The Lichfield MP stated on Wednesday: “I met Royal Mail just before Christmas to complain to them about the total lack of a postal service that we have in Lichfield. We were probably the worst area in the country at that point.
“I was told when I had that meeting that all of the first class mail went out that week. That is a lie, it is an absolute lie, because my constituents told me. Royal Mail clearly don’t have a handle on this – they are either not measuring their performance or they are covering up their performance.”
Anne Pardoe, Head of Policy at Citizens Advice, commented: “The price of 1st and 2nd class 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.
“More than half a decade has gone by since the company met its delivery targets and people still face a gamble, with many uncertain if their important documents or letters like medical appointments will arrive on time.
“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. Higher prices must come with higher standards – increases should be tied to Royal Mail’s performance on the doorstep.”
Richard Travers, managing director of letters at Royal Mail 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.”
