Royal Mail's new tariff for 2014 - 1st and 2nd class stamps both increase

From a Royal Mail press release:

28 February 2014

First and second class stamp prices
"We have thought carefully about the impact on our customers and our own business before deciding to increase our prices. We understand how difficult it has been for householders and businesses in the recent tough economic conditions.

• For the first time in two years, stamp prices will change. On 31 March, the price of a First Class Stamp will rise by 2p to 62p.  Royal Mail, under the current regulatory framework, could have raised the price of a Second Class stamp to 57p. Instead, the price of a Second Class stamp will rise by 3p to 53p.
•  Royal Mail’s stamp prices are among the best value in Europe. The European average for First Class letters up to 100g is 67p. The UK First Class stamp price remains well below this. The European average for Second Class letters, up to 100g, is 60p; the UK Second Class stamp price remains well below this.
• The UK has the highest quality specification of any major European country. Last week, we reported that we were on target for First Class delivery after the third quarter of this financial year, and were ahead of our Second Class target.

- See more at: http://www.royalmailgroup.com/first-and-second-class-stamp-prices#sthash.8qPoUHt2.dpuf

Further information on key prices

Letters and Large Letters

1st and 2nd Class mail

• 1st Class Letter will cost 62p [60p]
• 1st Class Large Letter (up to 100g) will cost 93p [90p]
• 2nd Class Letter will cost 53p [50p]
• 2nd Class Large Letter (up to 100g) will cost 73p [69p]

Royal Mail Signed For^TM

• Royal Mail Signed For^TM 1st Class letter will cost £1.72 [£1.70]
• Royal Mail Signed For^TM 1st Class Large Letter (up to 100g) will cost £2.03 [£2.00]
• Royal Mail Signed For^TM 2nd Class letter will cost £1.63 [£1.60]
• Royal Mail Signed For^TM 2nd Large Letter (up to 100g) will cost £1.83 [£1.79]

Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed®

• Our Guaranteed service offers next day delivery, great value features, generous compensation and market-leading quality of service. Prices start from £6.40 [£6.22] for 1pm delivery and £18.18 for 9am delivery.

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International prices:

Letters

International service	Benefits	Europe	World zone 1 and 2
International Tracked and Signed	Fully tracked with signature on delivery and online confirmation. Available to 43 destinations.	Letters up to and including 20g - £5.97	Letters up to and including 20g - £6.28
International Tracked (previously Airsure)	Fully tracked with online confirmation of delivery. Available to 33 destinations.	Letters up to and including 20g – £7.16 EU Countries	Letters up to and including 20g – £6.28
International Signed (previously International Signed For)	Tracked in the UK with a signature taken on delivery. Available to 190 destinations.	Letters up to and including 20g – £5.97	Letters up to and including 20g – £6.28
International Standard (previously Airmail)	Reliable, cost effective standard delivery.	Letters up to and including 20g – 97p[88p]	Letters up to and including 20g - £1.28 [no change]

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Impact for new stamps: the basic 1st and 2nd, Large Letter, and inland Signed For and Special Delivery rates are catered for by existing stamps.  Changes will be necessary for stamps for international services.

The current airmail rates to 100g will change from 7 steps (10, 20, 40, 60, 80 & 100g) to just three four.

Weight	Europe		World
	Old rate	New rate	Old rate	New rate
postcards	88p	97p	88p	97p
up to 10g	88p	97p	88p	97p £1.28
up to 20g	88p		£1.28
up to 40g	£1.28	£1.47	£1.88	£2.15
up to 60g	£1.68		£2.48
up to 80g	£2.03	£2.35	£3.08	£3.48
up to 100g	£2.38		£3.50

New stamps will be
81p Holly Green (correction - not 88p) - Surface mail rate worldwide up to 20g.
97p Purple Heather
£1.47 Dove Grey
£2.15 Marine Turquoise
97p country definitives x4

UPDATE 19.03.14: These pre-release images have been provided by Royal Mail - I hope that the £1.47 will be less insipid in reality.

Scans of the actual Machin definitives:

(It's strange how scanners apply some sort of colour-matching; the background paper on all these should be the same, and the automatic change has affected the colours of the stamps.)

Each value is printed on a cylinder containing 12 sheets.  Printing dates seen are:
81p - 16/01/14;   97p - 17/01/14;   £1.47 - 20/01/14;   £2.15 - 21/01/14.


These appear a bit darker than the actual stamps, so here for comparison is the 2010 97p Machin:

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Pre-release images (England was in the wrong colour, Scotland shows value in white, not silver)

Scans of actual stamps

Cylinder blocks: England (at least) exists with C1 and C2 black cylinders.

England and Scotland stamps are printed with plates of 8 sheets each.
Wales and Northern Ireland are printed one one plate with 4 sheets of each.

Printing dates seen are 13/01/14 (E and S), 14/01/14 (W and NI)

Surface mail, now known as International Economy will also change, with the minimum rising from 78p to 81p.  No new 81p stamp has been announced.

There is a greater impact for Post and Go Stamps (Faststamps).  Even now the machines dispense two stamps with the same value for different services (Europe 20g, Worldwide 10g).  In future Worldwide 10g and Worldwide 40g will not be required.   I'm awaiting for clarification but have been told that the 10g will be valid for the 20g rate andThe Worldwide 40g will be valid for the 60g rate.

UPDATE 28/3/14:
Since writing the above the 10g rate has been reinstated, and is 97p for Worldwide Postcards and Letters to 10g.   

But on both Wincor-Nixdorf and NCR Post and Go machines (and the BPMA machine) I've been told that the new stamps will be available from start of business.  A notice should tell customers wanting Worldwide 10g to buy Europe 20g.  At a later date the Worldwide 10g option will be reinstated under the 'post an item' menu.

UPDATE November 2014
To clarify the situation of older NVI stamps:

E and Europe 20g stamps are valid at the 20g Europe rate, currently 97p.

Worldwide Postcard stamps are valid at the current Postcard (and Worldwide 10g letter rate), also 97p.

Worldwide 20g stamps are worth £1.28.

Worldwide 40g stamps are valid at the Worldwide 60g rate, currently £2.15.

These stamps, like inland NVIs, will continue to increase in monetary value on the next change of tariff in March 2015.  All E, Europe, and Worldwide stamps can be used on inland post, in the same way that 2nd, 1st, and Large Letter stamps can be used on international post.

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