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How much do first and second class stamps cost?
Stamps featuring the late Queen's head are no longer in use
STAMPS have seen four price increases over the last two years.
The cost of sending a letter depends on what kind you buy and how quickly you want your mail to turn up.
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You also have to pay more for Royal Mail postage based on the size or weight of an item.
Below, we reveal everything you need to know about how much stamps cost.
How much is a first class stamp?
Sending a letter first class will ensure it gets to its intended destination faster, but it's also the most expensive option.
Any mail delivered this way will typically arrive within one to two working days of sending it.
As of October 7, 2024, a first-class stamp costs £1.65, after stamps prices were increased.
The price was hiked last October and again on April 2, 2024.
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The stamps can be bought individually from a Post Office counter.
Otherwise, you can usually buy them in booklets of multiple stamps.
A book of eight stamps currently costs £13.20 from Royal Mail.
This is obviously the same price as buying eight stamps individually except it saves you having to make multiple trips to the Post Office.
If you want to send an item first class that's bigger than a standard letter, the cost of the stamp increases.
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What can I send with a first class stamp?
It's not just standard letters, you can also pay more to send a large letter with a first class stamp.
First class stamps for a large letter cost £10.40 for a book of four.
According to Royal Mail, large letters can measure 35.3cm x 25cm x 2.5cm, but still have to weigh 750g or less.
If they weigh more, you'll have to pay extra.
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If your large letter cannot exceed 750g, a stamp will cost £2.50.
Letters that weigh up to 750g will cost £3.30.
You can pay for these higher weight stamps either at the self-service machines or customer service desks at the Post Office.
Small and medium parcels can also be sent with a first class stamp, costing more depending on how heavy it is.
Royal mail defines a small parcel as 45cm x 35cm x 16cm thick.
If it weighs up to 2kg, the stamp will cost £4.09.
For a parcel to be considered "medium", it must measure up to 61cm x 46cm x 46cm.
A medium parcel costs £5.69 to send first class if it weighs up to 2kg.
It then costs £7.39 if it weighs up to 10kg or £11.89 for parcels that weigh up to 20kg.
If your parcel weighs any more than this or is larger than this then you can't send it via Royal Mail.
You will instead have to use a service like Parcelforce, FedEx or Evri.
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How much are second class stamps?
Posting a letter or parcel second class is cheaper than first class but it takes longer for it to arrive.
Typically, it takes two to three working days for a second class item to arrive, including Saturday.
From the 7th of October 2024, a second class stamp for a standard letter costs 85p - you can buy second class stamps individually from the Post Office.
Second class stamps rose in price from April 2, 2024 by 10p.
A book of eight second class stamps can be brought for £6.80 at a variety of different shops, like supermarkets and off-licences.
If you want to send a large letter weighing up to 100g, it will cost you £1.55.
Large letters that weigh up to 250g, will cost £1.90, and ones weighing up to 500g will cost £2.30 and those weighing up to 750g will cost £2.50.
But like first class stamps, you can send small and medium parcels with second class stamps.
Sending a small parcel that weighs up to 2kg cost £3.25.
Meanwhile, medium parcels cost £4.85 to send second-class if they weigh up to 2kg and cost £6.35 if they weigh up to 10kg.
For a parcel that ways up to 20kg, you'd pay £10.25.
With second class stamps, you also can't send large parcels so will have to send your package via a different parcel service.
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Do stamps have an expiry date?
Stamps with no monetary value indicated on them do not usually expire but a big change which came in 2024 which invalidated old-style stamps.
Since July 31, 2023, you have not been able to use the style of stamps featuring an image of the Queen's head.
Now, only the new style stamps featuring King Charles, complete with their new barcodes are valid.
Senders will face a surcharge trying to use anything other than this stamp.
Royal Mail depots
As of March 2021, the Royal Mail has a network of 37 operational mail centres.
The largest being the Mount Pleasant Mail Centre in London.
The depots are divided into Royal Mail regions across the country which include locations, Chelmsford, Norwich, Nottingham, Peterborough, Romford, Sheffield, South Midlands (Northampton), Birmingham, Chester, Manchester, North West Midlands (Wolverhampton), Preston, and Warrington.
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