US Postal Service hikes stamp prices: Find out what it'll cost you to send a letter now
Under the new pricing, according to The Hill report, a Forever Stamp now costs 78 cents, up from 73 cents.
Postcards, which cost 56 cents earlier, will now be priced at 61 cents. International postcards and letters have gone up to $1.70 from $1.65.
According to the news outlet, the Forever Stamp remains a one-time purchase for customers to cover future first-class postage irrespective of future rate hikes. New stamp designs currently available include a SpongeBob SquarePants stamp, a 250th anniversary USPS edition, and one honoring former First Lady Barbara Bush.
The USPS has made several cost adjustments in recent years, another WPRI report stated. The report added that the cost of Forever Stamps has steadily increased almost annually since it was 45 cents in 2012.
Though there was no increase in Forever Stamp rates in 2015 and 2020, in 2023 and 2024, the USPS announced double hikes. The jump from 68 to 73 cents last summer marked the biggest single-year increase since 2019.
The USPS decided against raising rates in January 2025, according to a multi-phase plan the agency proposed in September 2024 to implement five price increases for stamps through 2027, beginning this July and then every January and July, the WPRI report added.
The USPS said these adjustments need to be made to fulfill the agency's 'legal obligation to be financially self-sufficient.'
It remains uncertain if the long-term price strategy, coined during former President Joe Biden's term, will continue during the Trump administration. Earlier this year, President Donald Trump had suggested several changes for the USPS. Shortly thereafter, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy tendered his resignation.
Despite the rising prices and uncertainty, the USPS insists that postage in America is a bargain. "USPS prices remain among the most affordable in the world," the agency reiterated in a statement in April.
A Forever Stamp now costs 78 cents, as of July 13, 2025.
The agency says the hikes are part of efforts to meet its legal obligation to be financially self-sufficient.
International letters and postcards now cost $1.70, up from $1.65.
Yes, the USPS proposed additional increases every January and July through 2027.
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