Postage increase: Stamps reach 49 cents
Postage increase brings the cost of a first class stamp to 49 cents – 3 cents more than before. The last postage increase was a year ago, when the cost of sending a letter rose by a penny to 46 cents.
Max Anderson delivers mail to residents near downtown Muskegon, Mich, last week. A postage increase raised the price of a first class stamp to 49 cents (AP Photo/The Muskegon Chronicle, Madelyn Hastings)
Madelyn Hastings/The Muskegon Chronicle/AP/File
Washington
It's going to cost you a few pennies more to mail a letter.
The cost of a first-class postage stamp is now 49 cents — 3 cents more than before.
Regulators approved the price hike in December, and it went into effect on Sunday.
Many people won't feel the increase right away: Forever stamps are good for first-class postage at whatever the future rate.
The last increase for stamps was a year ago, when the cost of sending a letter rose by a penny to 46 cents.
The Postal Service lost $5 billion last year and has been trying to get Congress to let it end Saturday delivery and reduce payments on retiree health benefits.