The price of a standard stamp will go up by almost 4% in response to continued rising energy and transport costs.
Bad news for all the philatelists and letter writers out there as An Post has announced yet another increase in the price of a stamp, which will come into effect from 1st February.
The price of a stamp for a standard letter or postcard will increase by 5 cent to €1.40, or by 3.70%, which is just under the rate of general inflation.
An Post only raised the price of a stamp by 10 cent around the same time last year. And since 2020 the cost has gone up by 40%.
However the cost of sending a standard international letter will remain at €2.20 for now while its recently launched digital stamp is still €2. But some other rates such as those for large envelopes and Registered Post will also increase.
An Post claims the cost of postage here is still below the European average, especially when adjusted for income levels. It says the average price of a national stamp across 14 European Union countries and the UK is €1.73, while the comparable worldwide price is well over €2.
The price of ten-stamp booklets will also increase from €13.00 to €13.50 (€1.35 per stamp), while a box of 100 stamps will now work out at €1.30 per stamp. But SMEs can avail of a €1.25 national stamp price through the An Post Advantage Card - a discount of 11%
| An Post stamp price | May 2020 | May 2021 | March 2022 | February 2023 | February 2024 |
| Standard | €1.00 | €1.10 | €1.25 | €1.35 | €1.40 |
| International | €1.70 | €2.00 | €2.20 | €2.20 | €2.20 |
| Digital | N/A | N/A | €2.00 | €2.00 | €2.00 |
Why the increase?
Up until May 2020, An Post hadn't increased the price of a stamp for around four years.
However extra costs incurred due to the Covid pandemic, and now sharp cost inflation across transport, fuel and energy, which An Post says is increasing the cost of providing national and international postal services, has led to several price increases.
An Post says it is committed to providing a top quality, sustainable, next-day service to the door for all customers despite an increasing number of European countries reducing letter delivery quality or frequency to just once or twice a week due to falling letter volumes. And its ‘Check-Ins’ by postal delivery staff on older, vulnerable or isolated customers living alone are now a standard part of An Post’s service nationally.
We have made every effort to minimise the necessary price increases by spreading them across letter products and services while ensuring top quality, sustainable services for all customers, wherever they live. An Post’s quality of service is amongst the highest in Europe while our prices remain well below the average tariff. These increases are necessary to cover rising costs and ensure service continuity and innovation on par with the best in Europe. We're alleviating the impact on SMEs and personal customers by providing discounts and regular price promotions through the year at post offices and online.
Garrett Bridgeman, Managing Director of An Post Commerce.
Will older stamps still be accepted?
Yes.
Any existing National ‘N’ rate stamps will automatically represent the new €1.40 postage rate while Worldwide ‘W’ stamps still cover the €2.20 international letter rate.
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