Postage rates to go up Jan. 22
1/24/2017, 6:28 p.m.
A postage stamp is about to cost an extra 2 cents.
The U.S. Postal Service is imposing new rates Sunday, Jan. 22, including raising the price of a first class stamp to 49 cents.
The increase comes nine months after the USPS was forced in April by an oversight commission to cut its stamp price to 47 cents. The price of a stamp initially was raised to 49 cents in 2014, according to USPS.
The increase is only for those buying actual stamps. The price to mail first class materials will drop from 46.5 cents to 46 cents for those using postage meters or those who get their postage through internet sites such as Stamps.com, according to the USPS.
Among other rate changes, the USPS also will impose cost increases to mail packages and to use Priority Express and Priority Mail for faster service.
For example, the Priority Express cost for an flat-rate envelope will increase by 52 cents to 98 cents, depending on the type of envelope used, the USPS stated, while the rate for Priority flat-rate boxes is to go up 35 cents to 70 cents, depending on the size.
