If you’ve walked into a post office lately and felt like you're paying more for a simple letter, you aren't imagining things. Honestly, the cost of us stamps 2024 changed so fast that even the most organized people got a little dizzy. We aren't just talking about a once-a-year adjustment anymore.
The United States Postal Service (USPS) has been on a mission. Under Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s "Delivering for America" plan, they’ve shifted into a high-gear strategy to fix a massive budget hole. That means more frequent price hikes. In 2024 alone, we saw two distinct increases.
The January vs. July Price Jump
It’s kinda wild to think that within six months, the price of a standard Forever stamp jumped twice. At the start of the year, specifically on January 21, 2024, the price of a First-Class Mail Forever stamp rose from 66 cents to 68 cents. It felt like a standard, annoying-but-manageable change.
Then July hit.
On July 14, 2024, the USPS pulled the trigger on another increase. This time it was bigger. The cost of a Forever stamp climbed from 68 cents to 73 cents. That’s a 5-cent jump in one go. If you’re used to the days when stamps stayed the same price for years, this new twice-a-year rhythm is a total culture shock.
Breaking Down the Other 2024 Mailing Costs
It isn't just the "regular" stamps getting more expensive. Everything in the mail bin got a price tag refresh.
Postcards became pricier too. In January, they went up to 53 cents, and by July, you were looking at 56 cents just to send a "wish you were here" note from your vacation.
Wait, there's more.
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If you’re sending a heavy wedding invitation or a thick legal document, that "additional ounce" fee matters. For the first half of the year, that extra ounce stayed at 24 cents. But when the July 14 changes kicked in, that fee bumped up to 28 cents.
International mail? Yeah, that took a hit as well. Sending a 1-ounce letter to another country moved from $1.50 at the end of 2023 to **$1.65** by mid-2024.
Why Do Prices Keep Climbing?
You've probably wondered why the USPS is so aggressive with these hikes. Basically, they are losing money. A lot of it. The Postal Service reported a $6.5 billion loss in 2023 and was staring down a projected $6.3 billion loss for 2024.
Inflation is the main villain here.
Fuel for the trucks. Electricity for the sorting hubs. Wages for the carriers. Everything costs more now. Plus, people just don't send as many letters as they used to. Mail volume has plummeted significantly since the mid-2000s, but the USPS still has to visit every single house in America six days a week. That "last mile" of delivery is incredibly expensive.
The "Forever" Loophole Everyone Forgets
The best thing about Forever stamps is that they are, well, forever. If you bought a sheet of stamps in 2018 for 50 cents, those stamps are still valid for a 1-ounce letter today. You don't have to add 23 cents of "makeup" postage to use them.
This creates a weird little investment opportunity for the savvy.
If you knew the cost of us stamps 2024 was going to hit 73 cents in July, buying 1,000 stamps in June at 68 cents was basically like getting a guaranteed return on your money. Businesses do this all the time. They "stock up" right before a price hike to lock in lower rates for their direct mail campaigns.
Metered Mail: The Secret Discount
If you’re running a small business, you shouldn't be licking stamps anyway.
Metered mail—the postage printed directly onto an envelope by a machine—is almost always cheaper than a physical stamp. In July 2024, while a physical stamp cost 73 cents, metered mail was only 69 cents. That 4-cent difference adds up fast if you’re sending out hundreds of invoices a month.
Shipping Costs Also Shifted
Mailing letters is one thing, but shipping packages is a whole different beast. In 2024, the USPS rebranded and adjusted its shipping tiers.
- Priority Mail saw an average increase of about 5.7% in January.
- Priority Mail Express (the "overnight" stuff) went up by about 5.9%.
- USPS Ground Advantage became the new go-to for affordable shipping, replacing First-Class Package Service. Even it saw a 5.4% average increase.
The USPS is trying to compete with UPS and FedEx, so they keep these rates somewhat competitive. They don't add fuel surcharges or residential delivery fees, which often makes them the cheapest option for sending a birthday present to your aunt in a rural area.
What to Do Now
Don't get caught off guard by the next cycle. The USPS has signaled that they will likely continue this January-and-July price adjustment schedule through at least 2027 to stabilize their finances.
Audit your postage stock. Check how many Forever stamps you have left. If you’re low, buy a few coils now. Even if the price doesn't jump tomorrow, it’s almost guaranteed to go up eventually.
Switch to metered mail for business. If you send more than 20 letters a week for work, look into a digital postage service like Stamps.com or a physical postage meter. The 4-cent per-letter savings will pay for the service subscription surprisingly quickly.
Check your weights. Because the "additional ounce" fee is now 28 cents, being just slightly over 1 ounce is a lot more expensive than it used to be. Invest in a cheap digital kitchen scale to make sure you aren't overpaying—or worse, sending mail that arrives at your customer's door with "Postage Due" stamped on it.
Leverage Ground Advantage. If you ship small items under 15.9 ounces, Ground Advantage is usually your best friend. It’s slower than Priority but significantly cheaper, and it still includes $100 of insurance.
Stay ahead of the schedule. The USPS usually files their "notice of price changes" about 90 days before they actually take effect. By keeping an eye on the news in April and October, you can see exactly where the cost of us stamps 2024 and beyond is headed before it hits your wallet.