eMinistry, MailChimp

Why Postage Rates Are Going Up


Why Postage Rates Are Going Up

Rising Postal Rates

I’ve been writing about the USPS Delivering for America ten-year plan since it started in 2021. Initially, the Post Office (USPS) planned two-cent rate hikes twice a year. The next increase will be on July 13, 2025. The two most recent hikes are at five cents.

The Postmaster General who started the plan, Louis DeJoy, stepped down on March 24, 2025, so we will see what happens next. (USPS is the only entity that can mail to any P.O. Box or address in the country.)

Here’s a chart of postal rates under the plan:

Dates Letters (1 oz.) Additional oz. Postcards
7/13/2025 78 cents 28 cents 62 cents
7/14/2024 73 cents 24 cents 56 cents
1/24/2024 68 cents 24 cents 53 cents
7/9/2023 66 cents 24 cents 51 cents
1/22/2023 63 cents 24 cents 48 cents
7/10/2022 60 cents 24 cents 44 cents
8/29/2021 58 cents 20 cents 40 cents
1/24/2021 55 cents 20 cents 36 cents

Postcard stamps will cost the same as first-class postage of only two years ago. The additional ounce rate has not increased as dramatically.

I read about two ways to evaluate the changes.

  • Postage rate increases are higher than the inflation rate.
  • The postage rates have matched the increase in the consumer price index. So, with an adjustment for inflation, we have not been “paying more” for stamps.

Some of the factors for the increasing rates are:

  • The U.S. Post Office was operating at a deficit and is aiming to be fiscally stable.
  • USPS has many competitors for mailing packages.
  • More people use email, texts, and social media rather than hand-written letters and postcards.

That last point is a vicious circle. As the volume of mail decreases, USPS has to raise postage rates. Higher rates encourage customers to switch to electronic communication, and around it goes. Unfortunately, our small decisions won’t disrupt this cycle.

What We Have Done

Buy Ahead

We ordered ahead last year. We have enough stamps for a few years.

I recently bought the “Appalachian Trail” stamps for this year and the “Battlefields of the American Revolution” for next year. 2026 is the 250th anniversary of our country. I’m sure we’ll see more Revolutionary War themes.

Our ministry partners love the commemorative stamps we use on our newsletters. Check out the new designs and order some Forever stamps before July 13, 2025, at USPS.com.

Send Newsletters Electronically

For several years, some of our ministry partners have asked for an emailed newsletter. I send a handful as regular emails. I switched most of them to MailChimp.

If you send newsletters electronically:

  • Create a short and interesting subject.
  • Consider including an emoji at the end of the subject to increase open rates.
  • I never use PDF versions of our prayer letters. (See notes for an explanation and for your options.)

You might want to read Managing Your Mailing List for the steps I used to determine whether to send paper or email prayer letters.

More than a year ago, a special needs donor said she loves our commemorative stamps, but wanted us to “save the cost of the stamp.” I assured her we were glad to continue mailing paper letters, but she insisted. We did what she requested.

Last week, I learned she has too many emails and ignores them. She prefers texts. I put her back on our paper mailings.

(Some of you may send prayer letters via text. I haven’t gotten to that point yet.)

What will you decide to do? My next blog post will weigh what you might consider as you make your communication decisions.

NOTES:

What do you think?

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