Royal Mail barcoding stamps - existing stamps valid only until 31 Jan 2023

NBLondon

Quick update.  The £1.70 rate will go up to £1.85 from April 11th and the current stamp (light blue £1.70) will be replaced with a barcoded one.   I'd expect these also to be swappable but as the rate is changing you might as well use them if you can.  Time to send a postcard to any distant relatives on other continents....

cx6

Thanks. Is the 2.35 rate changing too ?

kalsha

1.70 and 2.35 are these large letter rates?

Money_Grabber13579

kalsha said:

1.70 and 2.35 are these large letter rates?

No, these are rates for international letters.

Money_Grabber13579

Small change of plan from Royal Mail it would seem - Christmas stamps are now not going to be invalidated and so it is only Machin definitive stamps which will need to be swapped.

How long do I have to use up any non-barcoded stamps I have?

 
Non-barcoded stamps can be used as postage up until 31 January 2023. If you are able to use them within this time — that's great. If you aren't going to be able to use them up — that's fine too — you can send them in to us and we'll swap them out for barcoded stamps. Our 'Swap Out' scheme will open on 31 March 2022 and you can pick up a 'Swap Out' form from your local Delivery Office's Customer Service Point; print one off our website; or contact Customer Experience and we'll post one out to you. Note:  you don’t need to swap out non-barcoded Christmas stamps — we are still adding a barcode to Christmas stamps, but non-barcoded Christmas stamps will remain valid so can continue to be used after 31 January 2023 and therefore there is no requirement to swap them out.

Originally you said Christmas stamps are being barcoded and non-barcoded Christmas stamps would be invalid as postage after 31 January 2023 — has this changed?

 
Following our announcement on 1st Feb, and subsequent discussions with key stakeholders, including feedback from our customers, we have removed Christmas stamps from our Swap Out scheme. We are still adding a barcode to Christmas stamps, but non-barcoded Christmas stamps will remain valid so can continue to be used after 31 January 2023 and therefore there is no requirement to swap them out.

NBLondon

cx6 said:

Thanks. Is the 2.35 rate changing too ?

As far as I've heard the £2.55 rate and higher are unchanged.

kalsha said:

1.70 and 2.35 are these large letter rates?

£1.70 is a postcard or letter <20g Worldwide OR up to 100g Europe
£2.55 is a letter >20g Wordwide
£3.25 is Large Letter up to 100g to Europe and £4.20 to the rest of the World.
1st Large in UK is £1.29 and 2nd Large is 96p; these prices aren't changing but the stamps are and old ones will need to used or swapped by Jan 2023

Rantband

Expensive cookies
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/165362656894?hash=item268061e67e:g:u-8AAOSwTmpiHqEo&amp;LH_BIN=1

custardy

Rantband said:

Expensive cookies
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/165362656894?hash=item268061e67e:g:u-8AAOSwTmpiHqEo&amp;LH_BIN=1

Soon have RARE unbarcoded stamps 

MSE_James

Thank you @Money_Grabber13579 - as a result of seeing your post, our news team has published this article: 

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2022/03/royal-mail-u-turn-means-old-christmas-stamps-can-still-be-used-a/ 

soolin

This line concerns me a bit I don’t like the word ‘surcharge’. Still at least I know now to concentrate on using the non commemorative stamps first. 

Royal Mail said it will announce full details of the scheme, including what the surcharge will be and how it'll work in practice, soon.