(NEXSTAR) The United States Postal Service (USPS) has, again, raised prices on first-class mail, marking just the latest cost increase in recent years.
Back in April, the USPS requested a price increase in order to help it achieve financial stability the same reasoning it has used for previous rate hikes.
The increase, which took effect Sunday, marks a 7.4 percent bump on first-class mail stamps alone.
Now, a Forever stamp which includes new designs for “SpongeBob SquarePants,” the USPS’s 250th anniversary, and former first lady Barbara Bush will cost you 78 cents, up from the previous rate of 73 cents.
If you prefer sending postcards, that will now cost you 61 cents a piece, up from 56 cents. Postcards and letters traveling internationally will cost $1.70, up 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.
