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(NEXSTAR) — The United States Postal Service has, again, raised prices on first-class mail, marking just the latest cost increase in recent years.
In April, the U.S. Postal Service proposed a price increase to support its financial health — a justification previously used for their past rate increments.
The increase, which took effect Sunday, marks a 7.4 percent bump on first-class mail stamps alone.
Currently, purchasing a Forever stamp — featuring fresh designs like “Spongebob Squarepants,” the USPS’s 250th anniversary, and former first lady Barbara Bush — will set you back 78 cents, a rise from the former 73 cents.
For postcard enthusiasts, each postcard will now be priced at 61 cents, increasing from 56 cents. Sending postcards and letters overseas will now cost $1.70, up slightly from $1.65.
“USPS prices remain among the most affordable in the world,” the agency said in April.
While the USPS decided against raising prices in January, we’ve seen several cost increases in recent years.
Since 2012, Forever stamps, which cost 45 cents back then, have gotten more expensive nearly every year. There were no price increases in 2015 and 2020, but there were two in 2023 and 2024, data from the USPS shows.
Last summer, the price of a Forever stamp jumped from 68 cents to 73 cents, marking the largest increase since 2019.
More price hikes could be on the horizon.
Last September, the USPS proposed raising the price of stamps five times over the next three years, starting this July. Additional increases could happen every January and July through the end of 2027.
At the time, the agency said these adjustments are necessary for it to meet its “legal obligation to be financially self-sufficient.”
It’s unclear whether that plan, brought forth during President Joe Biden’s administration, will remain in effect under the Trump administration.
President Donald Trump said earlier this year that major adjustments could come to USPS. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy resigned a month later.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
