Royal Mail: Three days left to use non-barcoded stamps

Time is moving retired for radical to usage immoderate modular non-barcoded stamps arsenic Monday is the past time they tin beryllium utilized to station items.

After Monday, customers sending message with these stamps hazard the recipient being fixed a surcharge of £1.10.

However, commemorative and non-barcoded Christmas stamps volition inactive beryllium valid.

People tin swap their aged stamps for barcoded stamps done Royal Mail's Swap Out scheme, wherever determination is nary deadline for exchange.

Royal Mail said: "A leaflet with a signifier [for the Swap Out scheme] was delivered to each household recently, but customers tin besides people retired a signifier from our website; telephone our Customer Experience squad to bid one; oregon prime 1 up astatine a section Royal Mail transportation bureau oregon Post Office."

The deadline for utilizing the aged stamps was extended from 31 January arsenic much clip was required for users, Royal Mail said.

After Monday, Royal Mail says a £1.10 surcharge interest volition beryllium applied to message sent utilizing non-barcoded stamps. Those receiving message sent utilizing non-barcoded stamps volition beryllium fixed a "Fee to Pay"' paper telling them they indispensable wage a surcharge earlier the point tin beryllium delivered.

Barcoded stamps were introduced successful February past twelvemonth successful an effort to marque deliveries much businesslike and amended security.

The determination is portion of the company's ongoing modernisation thrust and volition alteration "added information features" and "pave the mode for innovative services for customers successful the future," said Matthew Parkes, managing manager of Stamps and Collectibles astatine Royal Mail.

Those stamps eligible for swapping are the regular 1st and 2nd Class "everyday" stamps, featuring the illustration of the precocious Queen Elizabeth.

As non-barcoded Christmas and different peculiar stamps with pictures connected proceed to beryllium valid for postage, they should not beryllium submitted for swapping.

Stamps that person already been utilized for postage volition not beryllium accepted for the swap retired scheme

Customers who people disconnected a Swap Out strategy form tin code an envelope to: Freepost SWAP OUT. No different code details are needed, the steadfast said.

Royal Mail's semipermanent program is for radical to scan the QR code, which tin beryllium scanned with the Royal Mail app, allowing them to ticker videos and nonstop day messages to each other.

"The barcodes volition alteration breathtaking caller services by connecting carnal stamps to the integer satellite done the Royal Mail app," the institution said connected its website.