US Postal Rates Going Up Soon So It's Time to Talk About the Forever Stamp Again!

The US Post Office has been selling the "Forever Stamp" for the past couple of years now, first for 41 cents and then, when the first class one ounce rate went up last May, for 42 cents. Well, the rate is set to go up again in a few days, this time to 44 cents. The USPS has promised that the Forever Stamp will be good for mailing one ounce first class letters at anytime in the future, regardless of rate increases.

The inevitable result is that Forever Stamps are irresistible to millions of Americans trying to save money anywhere they can in today's tough economy. And as the newest rate increase approaches, a new round of Forever Stamp stockpiling will occur, with Forever Stamps becoming even more popular than they already are.

But it seems that not quite everyone understands the concept of the Forever Stamp. People know that when they buy Forever Stamps they pay whatever the going rate is for first class one ounce stamps: currently 42 cents, but soon increasing to 44 cents. Even though the stamps have no denomination printed on them, they know their cost because that's what they're charged by the post office when they're bought. The confusion sets in when they're used after a rate increase: we've seen many a time when additional postage has been added to a Forever Stamp, apparently because the mailer didn't understand that what they paid for the stamp would still be enough despite the rate increase.

Just to eliminate the confusion, as long as the mailed piece is a first class one ounce piece, no additional postage needs to be added to a Forever Stamp. Doing so just adds to the coffers of the USPS and wastes the money of the person doing it. It may only be a couple of cents, but it all adds up.

Does the same kind of confusion surrounds the Breast Cancer stamp, since it is also non-denominated and satisfies the first class one ounce rate, no matter what was paid for the stamp at the time it was bought? We rarely see additional postage added to it, but we'd appreciate your comments.