Domestic postcard prices will be raised by four cents to 65 cents.
The U.S. Postal Service’s (USPS’s) rate hike of First-Class Mail Forever stamps from 78 to 82 cents is set to come into effect on July 12.
In April, USPS proposed the rate hike to the Postal Regulatory Commission, according to an April 9 agency statement. The hike was eventually approved. The new rate applies to letters weighing less than one ounce, according to the agency’s price list.
For metered letters less than an ounce, the price has been raised from 74 to 78 cents. The price of domestic postcards will be 65 cents, up by four cents.
The agency’s April proposal had kept the price of an additional ounce for single-piece letters unchanged at 29 cents. At the time, USPS said it was also seeking price adjustments for other First Class Mail products, USPS Marketing Mail, Periodicals, Packaging Services, and select Special Services products.
“The Postal Service generally receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products, and services to fund its operations,” the agency said at the time, adding that it was in the midst of a “severe financial crisis.”
In May, USPS reported a net loss of $2 billion for the second quarter of fiscal year 2026, up from the first-quarter loss of $1.26 billion.
The postal service had suffered a $9 billion loss in fiscal year 2025, following $9.5 billion in 2024 and $6.5 billion in 2023.
In a May 27 order, the Postal Regulatory Commission assessed that USPS’s request to raise stamp prices for July 12 was consistent with established regulations and applicable commission directives and orders. There was no legal basis to reject the rate changes.
However, “the Commission remains concerned about the substantial declines in Market Dominant volumes, overall service performance for Market-Dominant products, and the Postal Service’s overall financial situation, issues that have all remained significant,” the order said. Market-dominant products refer to mailing services.
