Newsflash - new tariffs for 2018

From a Press Release:  

Royal Mail understands that many companies and households are finding it hard in the currenteconomic environment. As a result, we have considered any pricing changes very carefully and in doing so have sought to minimise any impact on our customers.

From 26 March, the price of a First Class stamp will increase by 2p to 67p and the price of a Second Class stamp will increase by 2p to 58p. These changes are necessary to help ensure the sustainability of the Universal Postal Service.

In addition, the price of a Large Letter First Class stamp will rise by 3p to 101p; a Large Letter Second Class stamp will rise by 3p to 79p.


UPDATE:
Downloadable rates leaflet is now available from Royal Mail.   Key panel from the point of view of new stamps is the basic airmail rates:

The Postcard, European 20g and Worldwide 10g rates increase from £1.17 to £1.25 - nearly 7%.

The Worldwide 20g rate increases from £1.40 to £1.45.

The European and Worldwide 100g rates reduce by 2p dropping to £1.55 and £2.25 respectively.

These changes take effect from 26 March 2018.

New Tariff stamps (details not yet announced) will be issued on 20 March, the same day as the Royal Air Force Centenary Set.

This should mean a new £1.25 stamp replacing the 'sunrise red' £1.17;

a new £1.45 stamp replacing the 'dark pine green'(!) £1.40;

a new £1.55 stamp replacing the 'tarragon green' £1.57, and 

a new £2.25 stamp replacing the 'harvest gold' £2.27 

However, the purple/plum £2.25 is still available from Tallents House from the 2015 printing and in Royal Mail's apparently increasingly cost-conscious climate, I could see that colour being reused and therefore existing stocks not wasted.

Similarly the 2015 £3.30 Rose Pink could now be used for the Worldwide Large Letter Zone 1 100g rate instead of the Zone 2 rate, and the 2015 £3.15 abandoned.

There might be a new £2.65 replacing the £2.55 for the European Large 100g rate and a new £3.45 for the Large Letter Zone 2 100g rate but these stamps are apparently not used by many post offices and it seems they are mainly bought by businesses from Royal Mail's website.

UPDATE 21 February
As readers of the comments will see, a letter from Royal Mail indicates that the £2.25 (at least) will be printed by International Security Printers rather than De La Rue.  We await more news!

Further update:
I'm told that stamps with these values have been delivered to Post Office branches:

£1.25p £1.45p £1.55p £2.25p and £2.65p

Going by the comments down below, the £2.25 must be the existing colour purple. Tallents House will probably send out a new printing of M17L or M18L, but Post Office supplies may still have M15L or M16L stocks which will make their way into branches.

It may not have escaped your notice that all the new international rates are now multiples of 5p.  I think we can be fairly sure that if the inland letter rates were not regulated in the way that they were, there would be some simplification changes to those rates.  Some people would like to see the return of the 9p, but that would only help in one case.  With the rate differentials currently as shown, how much easier it would be if differences were a multiple of 5p/10p.

From    to      Diff        Make-up    No
                                                       needed

2nd      1st       9p           5+2+2      3

2nd      2Lge    21p         20+1       2

2Lge    1Lge    22p         20+2       2

1st       1Lge    34p   20+10+2+2   4

SF premium    110p     £1+10        2

for small letters                                    

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Update 23 February.
This picture is in the Royal Mail Philatelic Bulletin  received today shows the four new stamps but with the values obliterated.  We now know that these are £1.25, £1.45, £1.55 and £2.65.
First thoughts: the top two values are remarkably like the £5 azure and £3 purple; the green in this picture is very similar to the 2p, and the grey is, well, grey!  On their first day cover, Royal Mail are including only the four new colours; as the £2.25 is a new stamp from a new printer we will include that on our first day covers.  If you wish to have one of these, please let us know as soon as possible. We will have very few for stock after the date of issue.

Hot on the heels of the Bulletin was an email to registered dealers with more details of the new stamps.  As predicted by one of our Anonymous commenters, the 2nd & 1st country definitives have had a make-over with the new font being used for the denomination.  Just how necessary this is given the small number that any of us see on letters, or find in our post office branches, is a matter for debate.   From these pictures it appears that the 1st class Lion may well be the only one to have the denomination in silver-grey, because white would certainly not show on the yellow, not that that has stopped them using white for the 2nd class England stamp which joins the top value for Northern Ireland in having a face value that is almost impossible to determine.

 

UPDATE 26 February
Non-trade customers have had advance billing notices which price the 1st and 2nd class definitives at 68p and 59p respectively.  Querying this I have been told

The prices listed are post Tariff, all orders between 20^th & 25^th March will be billed at the appropriate rate.

This will also apply to standard customers who will be advised accordingly.

 

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