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

Money_Grabber13579

MiserlyMartin said:

Well then, that's the date we should be taking notice of then. Unless they change their website to be July then we should act accordingly. The same with the swap outs. My leaflet from RM says "Use up your non-barcoded, regular stamps by 31st January  2023 or swap them out". There is nothing that says you can swap them out beyond this date.

But that quote doesn’t support your argument at all (seemingly being that you can’t swap out after 31 January 2023)… You seem to be reading it as “ Use up your non-barcoded, regular stamps or swap them out by 31st January  2023.” But that is not what it says. Attention to detail is everything - as perfectly illustrated by the very different meanings of “let’s eat, Grandma” and “let’s eat Grandma.”

Given that the Royal Mail website specifically says that there is currently no end date for being able to swap stamps, I know which advice I will be following and which I shall be ignoring.

JWM

Louise135 said:

I sent 12 first class stamps to be swapped before I noticed the deadline had been extended.

I’ve received only 5x 1st class and 7x 2nd class in return. Not a fair swap I don’t think!

Contact them. I had an issue with missing stamps but it was resolved by Customer Services.
You have to be persistent though.

Grandad99

The swap out form says that pictorial stamps issued to commemorate anniversaries and events remain valid for postage and do not need to be sent in for swap out.

I have a number of these going back  before NVI appeared and the values shown on them range from 19p to 30p  How  do I know whether they are valid for 1st or 2nd class post?

HonestJohn

Grandad99 said:

The swap out form says that pictorial stamps issued to commemorate anniversaries and events remain valid for postage and do not need to be sent in for swap out.

I have a number of these going back  before NVI appeared and the values shown on them range from 19p to 30p  How  do I know whether they are valid for 1st or 2nd class post?

They are only valid for the amount shown on the stamp.

soolin

Grandad99 said:

The swap out form says that pictorial stamps issued to commemorate anniversaries and events remain valid for postage and do not need to be sent in for swap out.

I have a number of these going back  before NVI appeared and the values shown on them range from 19p to 30p  How  do I know whether they are valid for 1st or 2nd class post?

As per HonestJohn’s response it is the value shown on them that is counted. When the change to the barcoded stamps was announced a year or so ago I decided it was a chance to clear several hundred pounds worth of old stamps, so I started using them for my letters and large letters (parcels are considerably cheaper using online postage so I didn’t use them for those). Sometimes I could barely see the envelope for the amount of stamps, even a 68p standard letter can use lots of stamps if many of them are 9or 12p for instance. 

I got quite the expert of adding up odd denominations to make £1.05 or £1.65 for my large letters. 

HonestJohn

Same here. All the Christmas cards I sent had 5x19p stamsps on them. Some of the small items I have bought on ebay have been covered in stamps. You can even count the 1/2p on them.
What is everybody's current experience of the swap out? Are they sending out second class stamps again?

Lord_Gay

Royal mail still running adverts on national radio stating stamps need to be used by January, just heard it on LBC.

MSE_James

Our News Team colleagues have published a further article: 

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2023/january/royal-mail-stamps-deadline-july/ 

NBLondon

MSE_James said:

Our News Team colleagues have published a further article: 

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2023/january/royal-mail-stamps-deadline-july/ 

The confusion is because the 6 month "grace period" is not an extension of the stamps validity but that RM will not begin surcharging the recipient £2.50  for "no postage" until after July.

So you can continue use them without any risk of penalty but it would be better to swap them.


 There's a very good question over on the Small Biz thread:

MobileSaver said:

I'm guessing this means that after 31 Jan you can still use non-barcoded stamps on letters and small parcels that you post yourself but I wonder if Post Office staff will still accept such items over the counter? (E.g. if you require a proof of posting certificate/receipt or as part-payment if your parcel postage costs more than the stamps you've already stuck to it?)

If the stamps are invalid after 31 Jan - then I would expect the PO to point this out and not accept them as pre-payment.  Whether the PO has updated processes and informed all staff is another question.

Perhaps the News Team could find out from Post Office Counters Ltd and update the article...

GDB2222

FWIW, I have loads of old stamps, and I sent a small batch in for swapping. It's taken about two weeks, and RM have done a good job.

The only complaint is that the new stamps are around four times the size of the old ones, which is a problem if you need to add several stamps to a small package to make up the correct amount. 

I'll send them some more now.