Date Royal Mail scraps traditional stamps and brings in new system

Royal Mail will soon introduce a massive change to the way we pay for our postage.

By early next year, traditional stamps - which have been used for over five decades - will become invalid and effectively worthless. Despite this, there's no need to panic as your old stamps can be traded for new ones before the deadline hits.

By January 31, 2023, stamps will come equipped with a barcode and will continue to display the visage of Queen Elizabeth II for now. While the old stamps will become invalid by next year, shops and Post Offices should already be selling the brand-new stamps, ensuring that customers have plenty of time to adjust, the Mirror reports.

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Explaining the switch, Royal Mail said: “The move is part of the company’s extensive and ongoing modernisation drive and will allow the unique barcodes to facilitate operational efficiencies, enable the introduction of added security features and pave the way for innovative services for customers.”

The barcodes' extra security allows mail handlers to scan stamps while creating a digital footprint which will be extremely useful for customers using the Royal Mail app. While 'everyday' stamps will have these barcodes, commemorative and Christmas stamps will not feature them.

Royal Mail has advised customers to either use up the stamps before the January deadline or swap them for new barcode ones. However, Post Offices will be unable to trade the stamps.

Instead, Royal Mail has set up the Stamp Swap Out scheme which allows customers to fill out a form and send it back with the old stamps. The process is already available to be used and no end date for it has yet been