Yes, Even the Cost of Postage Is Going Up—USPS Just Increased the Price of Forever Stamps to 60 Cents

Madeline Buiano
·2 min read
forever stamp
forever stamp

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It's no secret that many things have recently become more expensive—and if you want to mail a letter to friends or family, you'll need to add another item to that list of inflation-impacted goods: stamps. According to a press release by the United States Postal Service, the current price of first-class Forever stamps increased to 60 cents apiece on July 10, marking a 3.4 percent increase in price, up from 58 cents.

"As inflation and increased operating expenses continue, these price adjustments will help with the implementation of the Delivering for America plan, including a $40 billion investment in core Postal Service infrastructure over the next 10 years," USPS writes. With the new prices, the Postal Service will continue to provide the lowest letter-mail postage rates in the industrialized world and offer a great value in shipping.

Related: 7 Reasons to Reclaim the Lost Art of Letter Writing

It's not all bad news, though. As their name implies, these special stamps can be used long past the date you purchased them. "Forever stamps can be used to mail a 1-ounce letter regardless of when the stamps are purchased or used and no matter how prices may change in the future," USPS writes. This means that if you still have some 58-cent Forever stamps lying around your house, you can use them to mail a letter without having to add additional postage to make up for the price increase.

These stamps were first introduced in 2007, when the price of first-class postage was 41 cents, according to a report by the AARP. In fact, you can still use an original Forever stamp purchased 15 years ago to mail a first-class letter today without an additional charge. As of 2011, nearly all first-class stamps sold are considered Forever stamps and can be used to mail domestic and outbound international letters.

The increased price of Forever stamps isn't the only aspect of postage that USPS increased on July 10. The federal agency also raised prices on metered letters from 53 cents to 57 cents, while domestic postcards rose to 44 cents from 40 cents, and outbound international letters rose to $1.40 from $1.30. This marks a 6.5 percent overall increase in first-class mail prices since the latest hikes.