Price of Stamp Scheduled to Go Up for the Second Time in Six Months

by M.C. Millman

The price of stamps is going up again; for the second time in six months, the United States Postal Service is raising the price of stamps. 

On Sunday, January 22, first-class stamps will cost 63 cents, up from 60 cents. Prices for international mail, metered letters, fees for post office boxes, money orders, and other special services will also go up. 

Letters weighing up to one ounce will cost 63 cents to mail, up three cents. Metered letters weighing up to one ounce will also rise by three cents and cost 60 cents to mail. Domestic postcards will cost 48 cents, four cents more, while international postcards will cost $1.45 to mail, a five-cent increase. Mailing an international letter, up to one ounce, will cost $1.45, which is a five-cent increase.

The last postage price increase was in July 2022. First-class stamps went from 58 cents to 60 cents. 

According to U.S. Postal Service, the increases are competitive and will help combat rising operational costs. 

"Prices of the U.S. Postal Service remain among the most affordable in the world," the USPS claimed in a statement released in October. "The Post Office is plagued by an annual budget shortfall of nearly $10 billion."

First-Class Forever Stamps purchased before January 22 will still cover first-class postage, despite the increase, as the whole idea of Forever Stamps is to protect against future price increases. However, Forever Stamps will cost 63 cents after January 22.