If you are thinking of sending out letters or restocking your stationery drawer, you might want to grab those Forever stamps now because prices are about to climb. The United States Postal Service recently shared plans for a price increase that could take effect right after July 12, raising the cost of a first-class Forever stamp from 73 to 78 cents.
This possible jump comes at a time when the USPS is already facing some significant shifts. Late last year, President Donald Trump suggested the Postal Service should be privatized to compete with delivery giants like FedEx, Amazon, and UPS. Then, in March, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy stepped down after nearly five years.
Why is USPS increasing the price for the Forever stamp?
USPS says it’s raising prices to keep up with today’s mailing habits and to stay financially stable under its 10-year plan, “Delivering for America.” It filed the request with the Postal Regulatory Commission on April 9, saying that even with these changes, U.S. postage is still one of the cheapest in the world.
It’s not just stamps, though, metered letters could go from 69 cents to 74 cents, postcards from 56 to 62 cents, and international mail from $1.65 to $1.70. However, the Commission now has the final say: if they approve the new prices, the increase will kick in on July 13.
The Forever stamp price has been changing for decades
Forever stamps might seem like small change, but they’ve seen many price hikes over the years. In 1985, a first-class stamp cost just 22 cents. That sounds unreal today, especially since the price shot up to 73 cents just last July, one of the biggest increases in USPS history.
In the past two years alone, the cost jumped from 60 cents to 73 cents. That’s a 13-cent increase in a short time. In total, the price of a Forever stamp has gone up by 50 cents in 40 years, but it hasn’t happened all at once. In some years, it stayed the same, and in others, it increased significantly.