When is rate increase for stamps

It means that Saturday is the final day to buy stamps or mail a letter at a lower cost before prices are raised. Forever stamp, or mailing a 1-ounce letter: Will increase from 55 cents to 58 cents. Additional ounces for letters: Will remain at 20 cents. Metered 1-ounce letter: Will increase from 51 cents to 53 cents. Postcard: Will increase from 36 cents to 40 cents. It would take effect Aug. The postal service in March announced a slower delivery schedule and other changes in order to stabilize its finances following chronic deficits.

Mail delivery has remained sluggish since slowing down last year after DeJoy cut overtime and extra trips by delivery trucks in an effort to rein in costs. More stories like this are available on bloomberg. The changes take effect on Jan. Here are a couple of examples of the price hikes: A letter that's overweight will cost 20 cents for each additional ounce, up from the current 15 cents.

The price of mailing a postcard within the U. Postal officials say in the news release that they believe these new rates will help keep the Postal Service competitive while providing some needed revenue.

Within the U. The stamps are always sold at the same price as regular first-class postage. Your forever stamp will be worth the domestic first-class-mail letter price the day you use it.

You might use two or more forever stamps on letters that are weightier or are going to international destinations, but that may not be the best strategy. Again, an additional ounce will cost you 20 cents starting in late January. That's paying 35 cents too much.

It's better to save your forever stamps for regular mail and buy a mix of stamps in smaller and larger denominations to help you hit the higher rates on oversized and international letters and cards.

The Postal Service generally receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations. For U. Postal Service media resources, including broadcast-quality video and audio and photo stills, visit the USPS Newsroom. For more information about the Postal Service, visit usps.