Stamp Prices Hit £1.80 for First Class as Royal Mail Hikes Rates Again

Royal Mail increased the price of a first class stamp to £1.80 and a second class stamp to 91p in April 2026, continuing a pattern of above-inflation postal price increases that has seen the cost of sending a standard letter more than double over a decade. The 10p rise on first class and 4p on second class were described by the operator as necessary to sustain a universal postal service at a time of declining letter volumes and rising operational costs.

The price increases follow a sustained period in which letter volumes have fallen dramatically as digital communications have replaced written correspondence for most personal and business purposes. Royal Mail’s financial model depends on maintaining revenue per item as volumes decline, creating a dynamic where price rises become necessary to compensate for lower overall throughput — a cycle that consumer groups argue risks making postal services unaffordable for regular use.

Ofcom, which regulates postal services in the United Kingdom, has been consulting on the future of the universal service obligation — the requirement to deliver to every address in the country at a uniform price at least five days a week. The regulator has published proposals to reduce the frequency of letter delivery for second class mail, potentially moving to alternate-day delivery, as a cost-saving measure that could partially offset the need for further price rises.

Consumer groups and business mailers responded to the April increase by renewing calls for tighter regulatory scrutiny of Royal Mail’s pricing decisions. The Federation of Small Businesses noted that many smaller enterprises still rely on postal communications for invoicing, contracting and customer correspondence, and that successive price increases were imposing a material cumulative cost on companies with no easy digital alternative.