Stamp price in France to cross €1 mark for first time

From January 1, the price of a “red priority” stamp will jump from €0.95 to €1.05.

Similarly - although not quite at the €1 mark - the price of a “green letter” stamp will rise from €0.80 to €0.88 - a jump of 10% in each case.

It will be the first time that the cost of a single stamp will rise above the symbolic €1 threshold.

The 10% rise for these two stamps is twice the 4.7% average jump that had been announced by La Poste for next year.

The postal service has defended the rise, saying that the extra money will go towards ensuring the longevity of the universal service, with an “improved quality”.

It added that the “adjustments” are a normal part of the changing “multi-annual tariff framework” that is regularly decided by national postal authority, l’Autorité de Régulation des Communications Électroniques et des Postes.

The rise in cost for individual, domestic parcels will be less severe: at 1.4%.

Anyone who uses the online stamp service MonTimbreEnLigne will also benefit from a small discount of three centimes compared to regular prices - a rise of one centime compared to now.

Despite the other changes, the cost of other stickers will likely remain the same, including the “Suivi” tracking sticker that allows individuals to track their parcels throughout their journey.

The cost of this sticker will remain at €0.40.