Aerogrammes - still 'legal' or just collectors' items?

Ed_Jogg

I have recently acquired some unused 'aerogrammes' (prepaid, pre-printed single-sheet forms for sending as cheap airmail letters).

I'm pretty certain they date back to pre-1996!

Are they still usable as a pre-paid airmail letter (remember, Royal Mail were paid the postage when originally purchased) or should I just feed them towards the philatelist collectors' market?

(I did try a search on the Royal Mail website, but the term was not recognised.)

bazzyb

Airletters are no longer available (from April 2012). Airletters purchased prior to this date, should be used by 31 October 2012.

Ed_Jogg

bazzyb wrote: »

Airletters are no longer available (from April 2012). Airletters purchased prior to this date, should be used by 31 October 2012.

Thank you (didn't know they were called 'Air Letters' until now!) -- so I need to get my skates on while they're still valid!

I found a Royal Mail PDF 'Pricing Made Easy', dated April 2011, which lists them as 85p each or £4.25 for 6. Presumably they will be absent from the updated guide.

An_oldie

I used one to write to someone in Australia last year and it arrived without any problems. I had no idea they were no longer valid. I have two left, as I've paid for them I'm tempted to use them - or save them to sell on eBay as collectors' items!

misterthrifty

As with any stamps issued by Royal Mail since 1971, they are still valid for postage, and will be until the new owners decide they don't wish to accept them any more.
The real value to sell them, rather than catalogue value, will be less than the face value of the stamps in most cases I'm afraid.

soolin

misterthrifty wrote: »

As with any stamps issued by Royal Mail since 1971, they are still valid for postage, and will be until the new owners decide they don't wish to accept them any more.
The real value to sell them, rather than catalogue value, will be less than the face value of the stamps in most cases I'm afraid.

These are not stamps just pre paid letters and as per post 2 no longer valid.

This is also an old thread that has been resurrected.

Contains_Mild_Peril

bazzyb wrote: »

Airletters are no longer available (from April 2012). Airletters purchased prior to this date, should be used by 31 October 2012.

Wow, that didn't give much of a margin! I'd have expected prepaid things like that to be valid for at least a few years after being discontinued. Completed listings on eBay suggest most are worth only a few pence each as collectors' items.

Whiner

soolin wrote: »

This is also an old thread that has been resurrected.

Yes it is, but that is because someone wished to continue to talk about the envelopes.

I can't see the problem?

soolin

ChanSiuKi1985 wrote: »

Hi guys, I'm from Hongkong. Just want to tell you that we're still selling aerogrammes here. It only costs HK$2.3 each, which is less than 20 pence.

No, no one uses this anymore as we're all wired. And they have not changed the design since 2007.

Thank you.

I am a bit confused though as the OP was posted over 3 years ago- and we are in the UK so our aerogrammes are nothing at all to do with HK ones.

Keithec

me across this old thread when trying to check about aerograms from the U.K. However I ignored the advice and used a couple of old ones that I found recently. Two different post offices assured me that they can still be used each time I sent one. They duly arrived (one to Japan and one to Jamaica) with no problems, no surcharge etc.


So my advice - if you have them use them if you feel the inclination!