Royal Mail ‘everyday’ stamps will expire in January 2023 – Here’s how not to lose out

Royal Mail will be adding barcodes to all their regular ‘everyday’ stamps. These are the stamps (pictured below) that will be very familiar to you. They feature the profile of Her Majesty the Queen on a plain coloured background and the non-barcoded stamps will become invalid for use on 31 January 2023.

You can carry on using any non-barcoded stamps you have until 31 January 2023. For most people that will mean they have time to use up any of the old stamps they have before that date and you don’t need to swap anything out. 

If you have too many stamps to use them up before this date you can exchange them for new barcoded ones through Royal Mail’s ‘Swap Out’ scheme.

Your non-barcoded stamps can be exchanged for the new barcoded version through the Stamp Swap Out scheme. The Scheme opened on 31 March 2022.

Special Stamps with pictures on and Christmas Stamps without a barcode will continue to be valid and don’t need to be swapped out.

For more information and to find out how to swap out your old stamps visit the Royal Mail here https://www.royalmail.com/sending/barcoded-stamps

Examples of stamps you can Swap Out

Examples of stamps you don’t need to Swap Out