An Post to increase the price of a stamp to €1.85

An Post has announced another sharp increase in the price of stamps.

The cost for sending a standard letter or postcard within Ireland will rise by 20 cent to €1.85, an increase of almost 12%. It follows a 25 cent hike last year and means the price of a standard stamp has now risen by a hefty 85% since 2020, over three times the rate of general inflation.

A new rate of €3.50 will now apply to sending a letter or postcard to the UK or Europe. While the cost of sending an international letter will go up by €1.30 to €3.95 — a hike of almost 50%. 

Also increasing is the cost of its digital stamp which will go up by 63 cent to €2.85. Rates for sending large envelopes, packages, and Registered Post will also increase.

The new rates come into effect from 3rd February.

Years of rising costs

Up until 2020, An Post hadn't increased the price of a stamp for around four years.

However extra costs incurred due to the Covid pandemic, and then a big increase in transport and fuel costs due to the energy crisis, have led to a price increase every year since.

At the same time, traditional letter volumes continue to fall, making the provision of a delivery service more and more expensive to operate. Postage volumes declined by a further 7% last year, following an 8% drop the year before, and are now more than 50% lower than a decade ago.

How Irish stamp prices compare

Despite the repeated hikes, An Post argues that postage costs in Ireland remain below the European average, especially when income levels are taken into account. It says the average price of a next-day national stamp across 14 EU countries plus the UK is €2.04.

The company also points out that it continues to provide a next-day delivery service to every address in Ireland — something that is increasingly rare elsewhere in Europe. In many countries, letters are now delivered only once or twice a week, often to a shared or centralised mailbox which customers have to reach themselves. And in Denmark, the national postal service even ended its traditional letter delivery service entirely last year.

Why An Post says the increase is necessary

An Post says the price hike is needed to sustain its world-class nationwide service, which includes the aforementioned next-day delivery to every home and business in the country. It also emphasises that it operates as an independent, self-financed company, having repaid a Government loan in full in 2024.

The company also highlights its wider social services, including:

• “Check-ins” by postal staff on older, vulnerable or isolated customers

• Continued free delivery of letters and parcels (up to 1kg) to residents of nursing and care homes

However, the president of the Irish Postmasters’ Union described the decision as “hugely disappointing”, saying postmasters were not consulted ahead of the increase.

Going green

An Post says the price rise will also support further investment in sustainability. Last year, half of all letters were delivered using electric or alternative-fuel vehicles, helping to reduce emissions and air pollution.

And thanks to investment funded entirely from its own resources, all deliveries and collections within Irish cities are already emission-free.

An Post remains committed to providing a top quality, sustainable postal service to the door for all customers. Increasingly, European countries have reduced letter delivery frequency to once or twice a week and now deliver to mail boxes outside the home or to central collection points. While An Post continues to design future generation mail services to suit customers’ needs, the company is committed to retaining the option of a next-day national service to the door, by trusted, trained postal staff in a growing fleet of emission free vehicles.

Garrett Bridgeman, Managing Director of An Post

Will older stamps still be accepted?

Yes. Existing National ‘N’ rate stamps will automatically cover the new €1.85 rate, while Worldwide ‘W’ stamps will continue to cover the €3.95 international rate.