The price increase will take place from April 7
Martin Lewis is advising people to “stock up now” before a price increase, which is set to take effect very soon.
According to the Money Saving Expert (MSE) website, stamp prices will rise from Tuesday, 7 April, with a standard first-class stamp increasing by 10p to £1.80. Experts recommend buying stamps beforehand to save money, as any stamps purchased now will remain valid after the price hike.
In fact, Martin Lewis, the founder of MSE, said: “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.”
Royal Mail price changes – April 2026
According to the Royal Mail Group Ltd, price changes for personal customers and marketplace sellers (Online and Post Office branches) are changing.
Its Online and Post Office products and services include the following:
Domestic products and services:
- 1st and 2nd Class Letters, Large Letters and Parcels
- Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed®
- Royal Mail Signed For®
- Royal Mail Tracked
- Royal Mail Redirections, Keepsafe® & PO Box®
- Parcelforce Worldwide Express
Price changes to our International Products and Services:
- Royal Mail International Tracked
- Royal Mail International Tracked & Signed
- Royal Mail International Tracked/Tracked & Signed Heavier
- Royal Mail International Signed
- Royal Mail International Untracked (Standard)
- Royal Mail International Economy
- Royal Mail International Redirection
For example, first-class stamps will rise by 10p to £1.80, while second-class stamps will increase by 4p, bringing the price to 91p.
You can check out their price changes here which is valid from April 7, 2026. If you are reading this after the price rise, you can also view the updates here.
As we previously reported, Royal Mail managing director of letters, Richard Travers, said of the price increase: “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.”
