CHICAGO (WBBM) - The cost of mailing a First Class letter jumps from 39 to 41 cents on Monday, May 14.
After Monday, you can mail a letter with a 41-cent stamp, add a two-cent stamp to one of your 39-cent stamps or buy the non-denominational Forever Stamp that's good for mailing a one-ounce First Class letter, well, "forever".
Mark Reynolds with the postal service in Chicago says the Forever Stamp is a hedge against future postal rates increases. Not the one that takes effect Monday because Forever Stamps cost 41 cents each, but any more increases to come.
No matter how high rates rise in the future, the Forever Stamp will always be good. You won't have to add 1 or 2 cent stamps to make up the difference, even in the event of future rate increases.
Why would anyone not buy the forever stamp? If you're looking for stamps with a particular design, say for a wedding invitation, you'd buy a conventional stamp. The Forever Stamp comes with just one image -that of the Liberty Bell.
What’s in it for the postal service? It benefits from sales of all those Forever Stamp, now.