Royal Mail customers hit with extra fee for some deliveries this Christmas

The surcharge applies to concern relationship customers, who volition wage an other 5p for letters and 10p for parcels - and this volition beryllium successful unit until January 10, 2025

Royal Mail has brought backmost an other interest for immoderate deliveries up of the engaged Christmas period.

The surcharge applies to concern relationship customers, who volition wage an other 5p for letters and 10p for parcels. This comes into unit from contiguous and volition tally until January 10, 2025, to screen the highest clip for Christmas deliveries. While this is lone being applied to concern customers, determination are fears that consumers could extremity up paying much if businesses walk connected the costs.

On the Royal Mail website, the steadfast states: “The Peak Surcharge is effectual crossed our busiest clip of twelvemonth arsenic we scale-up our web astatine further cost. The Peak Surcharge is applied connected the merchandise terms aft immoderate discounts oregon commissions oregon different surcharges, and earlier VAT.”

The 5p highest surcharge is being applied to Royal Mail 24 and Royal Mail 48 ample letters, positive Royal Mail Tracked 24 and Royal Mail Tracked 48 letterboxable products sent by concern relationship holders. The 10p highest surcharge volition use to Royal Mail 24 and Royal Mail 48 parcels, Royal Mail Tracked 24 and Royal Mail Tracked 48 Parcels, Royal Mail Tracked Returns, Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed by 9am, 1pm and extremity of the time Sunday, and Special Delivery Guaranteed Returns.

It comes aft Royal Mail hiked the terms of stamps again past month. The terms of a modular first-class stamp accrued from £1.35 to £1.65 - up 30p, oregon 22% - arsenic of October 7. The outgo of a ample first-class stamp roseate from £2.10 to £2.60 - up 50p, oregon 24%.

Royal Mail said the summation is down to a diminution successful the fig of letters being sent. The terms of stamps has been steadily expanding implicit the past fewer years. A modular first-class stamp roseate from £1.10 to £1.25 successful October 2023, past to £1.35 successful April 2024.

There was nary alteration to the terms of second-class stamps, which outgo 85p for a modular second-class stamp, and £1.55 for a larger second-class stamp. It comes aft Royal Mail replaced accepted stamps with ones that diagnostic barcodes.

The lone stamps you tin proceed to usage are “special stamps” issued to commemorate anniversaries and events, arsenic good arsenic Christmas stamps. If you inactive person immoderate aged stamps, you tin speech them done the Royal Mail “Swap Out” scheme.

To bash this, download a “Swap Out” signifier connected the Royal Mail website, telephone up Royal Mail connected 03457 740740, oregon prime up a signifier from your section Post Office. If you’re downloading the signifier online and you don't person entree to a printer, you tin implicit a web signifier and petition for it to beryllium posted to you.