You might want to pick up some stamps this week — if you still use them, that is. Come Sunday, stamps will be about 5% more expensive.
The price of a first-class stamp — the postage needed to mail a 1-ounce letter — will jump from 60 cents to 63 cents.
This price change is among those that the U.S. Postal Service requested in October and November.
The Postal Regulatory Commission, the federal agency that oversees the USPS, has since put its stamp of approval on both requests, with the changes all effective Jan. 22.
So, you have three more days to stock up on postage at the current rates.
Other increases for first-class mail prices that take effect on Jan. 22 include:
- Metered letters (1 ounce): 60 cents (up from 57 cents)
- Domestic postcards: 48 cents (up from 44 cents)
- International postcards: $1.45 (up from $1.40)
- International letters (1 ounce): $1.45 (up from $1.40)
Increases for domestic Priority Mail flat-rate prices that take effect the same day include:
- Small flat-rate box: $10.40 (up from $10.20)
- Medium flat-rate box: $17.05 (up from $17.10)
- Large flat-rate box: $22.45 (up from $22.80)
- Regular flat-rate envelope: $9.90 (up from $9.65)
- Padded flat-rate envelope: $10.60 (up from $10.40)
Not all prices are rising, however. Some will remain the same. These include the additional cost to mail letters weighing more than 1 ounce, which remains 24 cents per additional ounce.
A list of all prices that will be in effect as of Jan. 22 is available on the Postal Service’s Postal Explorer website.
The increases that take effect Sunday are part of a 10-year plan to “achieve financial sustainability,” the Postal Service said in October.
The Postal Service relies on sales of postage and other products and services to fund its operations. It generally does not receive tax dollars for operating expenses.