Price of Forever Stamp Increases

Nothing lasts forever—not even the price of a Forever stamp. Effective Jan. 22, the cost of mailing a one-ounce first-class letter returned to 49 cents, marking the first increase since January 2014.

Last April, consumers got some relief when the Postal Regulatory Commission ordered the U.S. Postal Service to drop prices for the first time in 97 years, bringing the cost of Forever stamps to 47 cents. At the time, Postmaster General Megan Brennan objected, saying, “given our precarious financial condition and ongoing business needs, the price reduction required by the PRC exacerbates our losses.”

Postcard rates will remain the same at 34 cents. Letters and packages mailed to international destinations will remain at $1.15, though each additional ounce will cost 21 cents.

While a 2-cent increase may not seem too bad, the change was not welcome by all—particularly those who purchase stamps in bulk like Lynne Golodner. Golodner, the chief creative offer of the Huntington Woods, Michigan-based public relations firm Your People, said of the increase:

I was stunned. It feels like we just had another increase. It’s an inconvenience, I am kind of old-fashioned. I use stamps, I pay bills by mail. I mail out checks to employees. I guess I could do a lot of that digitally, but I just don’t.

The Forever stamp, however, is not exempt from price increases. The word “Forever” refers to when the stamp can be adhered to the envelope and get said envelope to its destination, not how long its cost remains unchanged.