(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 with the goal of achieving financial stability, a motive it has cited for prior rate increases.
The increase, which took effect Sunday, marks a 7.4 percent bump on first-class mail stamps alone.
As a result, a Forever stamp—featuring new designs such as “Spongebob Squarepants,” celebrating the USPS’s 250th anniversary, and honoring former first lady Barbara Bush—now costs 78 cents, a rise from the earlier price of 73 cents.
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If you’re a fan of sending postcards, the new rate is 61 cents each, compared to the previous 56 cents. For postcards and letters sent internationally, the cost is now $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.
