Martin Lewis says you can beat the price hike now (Image: ITVX)
Money expert Martin Lewis is urging households to stock up on one everyday item costing £1.70 before April price rises take effect.
Returning on the latest episode of The Martin Lewis Show Live on ITV1 and ITVX on Thursday, March 26, the money expert gave audiences his best tips on how to avoid the imminent wave of April price hikes starting from next week.
As well as offering advice on council tax, water rates and energy bills, Martin explained that there’s an extremely easy way to avoid a price rise on the cost of stamps.
The price of First Class stamps is set to increase by as much as 6% from April 7, Martin said, but they last forever with no expiration date, so the best way to avoid the price hike is to stock up before then.
Martin told his live audience: “Stamps. Prices are rising up to 6%, 10p on a First Class letter stamp, you can stomp down on this, all you have to do, is go buy your stamps now as long as they say 1st or 2nd on them, they are valid in perpetuity.
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“Perpetuity means forever, you may as well buy them now when they’re cheaper.
“Going to be sending Christmas cards this Christmas? Buy your stamps now.”
Martin then heard from a viewer who had previously followed Martin’s advice in a message sent into the show.
It read: “Following Martin’s comments on stamps going up, we bought £10,000 worth of first class stamps for our business back in 2022.
“We’ve used 80% of them and only have 1,900 left, however, their value is now still over £5,300 with all the price rises, our most profitable investment in the last four years!”.
Martin added: “I was just going to say they must be using large letter stamps for them to be worth £5,300 but I enjoyed the calculation.”
From April 7, Royal Mail will increase the price of a First Class letter from £1.70 to £1.80.
A First Class large letter will increase from £3.15 to £3.30, and a Second Class letter is going up from 87p to 91p.
Only Second Class large letters will stay the same, at £1.55.
The cost of many of Royal Mail’s Signed For and Special Delivery Guaranteed as well as Tracked Services will also increase.
Martin Lewis previously posted via his MSE website: “For years, every time stamps go up in price I’ve suggested people stock up and bulk-buy in advance, as provided the stamp doesn’t have a price on it and instead just says the postage class, it’s still valid after the rise.
“This has been an effective tactic, as a first-class letter stamp is now £1.70, soon rising to £1.80 – in 2012 it was just 60p. So you may as well stock up now if you’re going to need stamps.”
The Martin Lewis Money Show Live, Thursday March 26 episode is still available to watch via ITV1 and ITVX.