Stamp Price to Hit 42 Cents on Monday

(AP) - The price of a first-class stamp will rise 2 cents to 44 cents on May 11, the Postal Service said today. That leaves plenty of time to stock up on Forever Stamps, which will continue to sell at the current 42-cent rate until the increase occurs. They will remain valid in the future regardless of rate hikes. More»

Postal service hikes cost more easily under new system

(NEWSER) - First-class snail mail will cost a penny more starting May 12, the US Postal Service announced today. Stamps are going up to 42¢, as is the Forever stamp, which was billed as a hedge against future first-class rate increases when it was introduced last year. The 41¢ Forevers will still work after the rate hike. More»

Postal Service cites need for quick action from Congress

(NEWSER) - 50-cent stamps, anyone? That's one of the changes the postmaster-general wants Congress to act on quickly if the service is to survive, reports the Wall Street Journal . That increase of a nickel for a first-class stamp is actually one of the minor proposals from Patrick Donahoe. He also laid out plans to cut 150,000 jobs (mostly through retirements), to extend delivery times for long-distance mail, and to have the postal service cut ties with the federal health benefits program. More»

It will cost 45 cents to mail a first-class letter in January

(NEWSER) - Given the dire financial straits of the Postal Service, this shouldn't be a huge surprise: The price of a stamp is going up a penny to 45 cents in January, reports the Washington Post . The first hike in more than two years is expected to pull in an extra $888 million in revenue, says the USPS. Postcards are going up 3 cents to 32 cents, though Express Mail and Priority Mail won't change. International letters will go up 7 cents to $1.05, except for Canada and Mexico letters, which will cost 85 cents. More»

35K jobs at stake, delivery will slow

(NEWSER) - The US Postal Service is closing or consolidating almost half of its mail processing centers nationwide as part of a $15 billion cost-cutting plan. Some 223 centers will go, in a move that puts 35,000 jobs at risk and will slow down first-class delivery, AP reports. The agency, which plans to start closing centers in mid-May, will try to minimize job losses by shifting workers to other roles, and even other states if necessary, according to officials. More»