You're standing at the kitchen counter with a stack of bills or maybe a late thank-you card, and you realize you're out of stamps. You head to the drawer, find a stray one from three years ago, and wonder: "Is this thing even enough anymore?" Honestly, keeping up with the United States Postal Service (USPS) lately feels like tracking the stock market. One minute a stamp is 60 cents, and the next, you're digging for nickels.
If you’re looking for the quick answer, here it is. As of right now in January 2026, the price of postage stamps for a standard one-ounce First-Class letter is 78 cents.
That 78-cent rate actually kicked in back in July 2025. For a while there, it felt like the Post Office was hiking prices every time we blinked. But here’s the kicker: they actually took a breather. Postmaster General David Steiner announced late last year that they wouldn't be raising the price of a standard stamp in January 2026.
So, for the first few months of this year, your wallet gets a break—at least at the stamp counter.
The 2026 Breakdown: What You’re Actually Paying
It’s not just about that single square of paper, though. The USPS has a whole ecosystem of prices that changed on January 18, 2026. While the "Market Dominant" stuff—basically your regular letters and postcards—stayed flat, the "Competitive" shipping services did not.
If you’re headed to the post office today, here is what the damage looks like for the most common items:
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- First-Class Forever Stamp (1 oz): 78 cents.
- Postcards: 61 cents. (A weirdly specific number, right?)
- International Letters (Global Forever): $1.70. This covers a one-ounce letter to basically anywhere on the planet.
- Additional Ounce: 29 cents. If your letter is a little chunky, that second ounce will cost you.
- Non-machinable Surcharge: $1.27. This is for those square wedding invitations or anything that can't go through the sorting robots.
It's kind of wild to look back. Only a decade ago, we were paying 49 cents for a stamp. The jump to 78 cents represents a massive shift in how the USPS tries to stay afloat. They’re following this 10-year plan called "Delivering for America," which is basically a fancy way of saying they need to charge more to cover the fact that people aren't sending as much snail mail as they used to.
Shipping vs. Mailing: The January 18 Pivot
You might hear people complaining about "new 2026 rates" and get confused since I just told you stamps didn't go up. Well, they’re both right.
On January 18, 2026, shipping prices took a jump. If you’re mailing a birthday package to your nephew, you’re going to feel it. Priority Mail prices went up about 6.6% on average. USPS Ground Advantage—which replaced the old First-Class Package service a while back—spiked by nearly 7.8%.
If you use Priority Mail Express because you absolutely forgot a deadline and need it there tomorrow, expect to pay roughly 5.1% more than you did last month.
Basically, the USPS is holding the line on Grandma’s letters but squeezing the packages. It makes sense from a business perspective, but it’s a headache if you run a small Etsy shop or ship stuff regularly.
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Why the Forever Stamp is Still the Best Deal
The Forever stamp is arguably the greatest financial product ever sold by the government. Serious.
When you buy a Forever stamp today at 78 cents, it is valid for one ounce of First-Class mail forever. It doesn't matter if the price jumps to a dollar next year or five dollars in twenty years. You’ve locked in the rate.
I remember when my aunt bought sheets of these when they first came out in 2007 for 41 cents. People thought she was being eccentric. Now? She’s basically a genius. She’s getting a 47% discount on every letter she mails compared to what you and I are paying at the counter today.
If you have a drawer full of old Forever stamps with flags, flowers, or even those cool Star Wars ones from years ago, you don't need to add extra 1-cent or 2-cent stamps. They are still "good."
Are Price Hikes Coming Later in 2026?
Here is the part where I have to be the bearer of potentially annoying news. While we skipped the January hike for the price of postage stamps, the USPS has already hinted that they might revisit the "Market Dominant" rates (stamps) in mid-2026.
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Historically, they’ve been doing twice-a-year adjustments. By "adjustments," they almost always mean "upward." If you’re a heavy mailer—maybe you’re planning a wedding for late 2026 or you run a non-profit—it might be a very smart move to stock up on Forever stamps now.
Pro-Tips for Saving Money at the Post Office
Let's be honest, nobody likes overpaying for a piece of adhesive paper. There are a few ways to keep your costs down if the 78-cent price tag bugs you.
- Metered Mail: If you have a small business, "metered" mail (the stuff printed by a machine) is actually cheaper. It’s currently around 74 cents instead of 78. That four-cent difference adds up if you're sending hundreds of invoices.
- Avoid the Surcharge: Before you buy those fancy square envelopes for your invitations, check the price. Anything that isn't a standard rectangle—or anything too rigid to bend—gets hit with that $1.27 non-machinable rate. Stick to standard sizes to keep your price of postage stamps at the 78-cent minimum.
- Buy in Bulk (Carefully): You’ll occasionally see "discount stamps" online for way less than the USPS price. Be extremely careful. There is a massive influx of counterfeit stamps on sites like Facebook Marketplace and random shady websites. If you see 100 stamps for $20, they are fake. The USPS will actually seize mail with counterfeit stamps, and you'll be out your money and your letter.
- Use Pirateship or Stamps.com: For packages, never pay the "retail" price at the counter. Services like Pirate Ship are free to use and give you the "Commercial" rate, which is significantly lower than what you'll pay standing in line at the Post Office.
Real World Cost Comparison
To put things in perspective, it’s worth looking at what it costs to mail things elsewhere. We complain about 78 cents, but in the UK, a first-class stamp (Royal Mail) has been hovering well over a pound (roughly $1.30 to $1.50 depending on the exchange rate) for a while. In Germany, it's a bit lower, but the USPS remains one of the more affordable systems in the developed world.
That doesn't make the sting of a 5-cent jump feel any better, but it's some context for why the Postmaster General keeps pushing these increases. They’re trying to modernize a system that was built for a world without email.
Your Immediate Next Steps
If you want to stay ahead of the next price hike, here is what you should do right now:
- Audit your stash: Check if those stamps you have are "Forever" stamps. If they don't say "Forever" on them and have a cent value (like 50c or 60c), you’ll need to buy "change" stamps (1-cent or 2-cent denominations) to make up the difference to 78 cents.
- Buy a coil now: If you think you'll need stamps for Christmas cards or an event later this year, buy them now. There is zero risk; the price won't go down, and there's a high probability it will go up by July.
- Check your package sizes: Since shipping rates just went up on January 18, double-check your box dimensions. A fraction of an inch or an extra ounce can now trigger a higher price tier than it did in December.
Staying on top of the price of postage stamps isn't just about saving a few nickels; it’s about not having your mail returned for "postage due," which is a total pain. Grab a booklet of 20 for $15.60 next time you're at the grocery store, and you're set for the foreseeable future.