Postal rates go up Sunday
Free Press staff report | 1/25/2019, 6 a.m.
The price of a first-class stamp will jump to a record 55 cents on Sunday, Jan. 27.
The nickel increase from the current 50-cent stamp price is the largest single jump in the history of the American postal service, according to U.S. Postal Service records.
The USPS sought the increase for a 1-ounce letter in a bid to stem revenue losses as mail volume continues to decline.
The increase will be less for metered letters, with the 1-ounce price rising from 47 cents to 50 cents.
At the same time, the postal service is cutting the cost of mailing heavier letters that need extra postage, such as wedding invitations.
The charge for each additional ounce will drop 6 cents, from the current 21 cents to 15 cents. As a result, a 2-ounce letter will cost 70 cents to mail, compared with 71 cents today.
The price for mailing large flat envelopes and postcards will not change, USPS officials noted.
Priority mail rates also are to increase between 70 cents and 72 cents per item, depending on the type of flat-rate envelope used.
