Anyone with old stamps lying around should double-check before putting them on letters and cards. If these stamps have been gathering dust in a drawer for quite a while, they may no longer be valid and could result in Royal Mail demanding a surcharge.
Martin Lewis’ MSE team recently reminded the public about the free ‘Swap Out’ scheme when discussing the stamp price increase coming in a matter of weeks. Brits will soon be paying more for stamps from April 7, with the cheapest option now costing just under £1.
Any mail posted with non-barcoded stamps since July 2023 will be treated as insufficiently stamped and “subject to a surcharge”. Using old non-barcoded stamps in 2026 will lead to fees of £2.50 for letters/large letters and £3.50 for small parcels.
The UK’s postal service added barcodes to all regular stamps in 2022, and offered the public a six-month period to use them up with no issue. But, since January 2023, people who used these old versions instead of barcoded ones have been liable to pay a surcharge.
A spokesperson said: “The move is part of the [Royal Mail’s] extensive and ongoing modernisation drive and will allow the unique barcodes to facilitate operational efficiencies, enable the introduction of added security features and pave the way for innovative services for customers. We introduced a six-month period of grace from the initial January 31 deadline to give customers even longer to use up their old, non-barcoded stamps.”
Non-barcoded stamps can be exchanged for new barcoded versions through Royal Mail’s Stamp Swap Out scheme. To swap out your stamps:
- Pick up or print out a swap-out form
- Complete your form and include your stamps
- Send free of charge to “Freepost SWAP OUT”
‘Swap Out’ forms are available from the Royal Mail website here. Alternatively, people who cannot print one of these out can contact Royal Mail Customer Services, who will arrange for one to be sent out. As of November 2022, forms are also available to collect from Post Office branches.
There is currently no deadline to complete swaps, but we suggest doing it sooner rather than later in case the scheme closes. Royal Mail said it’ll aim to process your application within 30 days.
What stamps are eligible for swap out?
All standard decimal Machin definitive stamps since 1971, including:
- NVIs 1st Class, 2nd Class. 1st Class Large Letter; 2nd Class Large Letter
- all make up value stamps (e.g. 1p, 2p, 10p, £1, etc.)
- International Tariff stamps
All Country definitive stamps, including Regional/Country Machins (1971- 1999) and the replacement Country Emblems (1999 to present). Although Royal Mail is adding barcodes to Christmas stamps, non-barcoded Christmas stamps will remain valid as postage, so Christmas stamps should not be sent in for swap-out.