Kenneth Fox
An Post has announced it will implement price increases which were postponed as part of its public service measures for consumers and business during lockdown.
From May 27th, the standard national letter stamp will increase to the EU average price of €1.10c (currently €1.00). There will also be an increase in the standard international letter price to €2.00 (currently €1.70).
They said the price increase will enable An Post to further invest in essential national infrastructure and continue to serve communities nationwide.
To assist in the post-Covid Lockdown recovery period, An Post said it will extend its temporary SME supports to the end of 2021. Discounts of 34 per cent on parcels and 5 per cent on mail will help SMEs to recover through this period as well.
An Post said their community focus supports such as calling in on vulnerable citizens, free postage to and from care homes, and free newspaper delivery for older customers will also be extended until at least the end of the year.
They said the last increase in the national stamp price was four years ago, and the increased revenues were invested in the transformation of the service, which ultimately allowed An Post to keep both its delivery and Post Office networks fully open throughout the Pandemic.
The full changes from An Post include:
- The price of the standard national letter stamp will increase up to the EU average price of €1.10c (currently €1.00). This is the first increase in the national stamp price for more than four years and reflects a decline of 25 per cent decline in letter mail during that period;
- The standard international letter stamp will increase to €2.00 (currently €1.70). An 80 per cent reduction in flights out of Ireland during the Covid-19 crisis and a similar fall in the number of flights between international destinations has resulted in freight charges increasing four-fold for An Post in the past year;
- Bulk mail rates will increase by 5c and meter rates by 10c. Large mailers will continue to receive discounts for high volume postings;
- Discounts of 34 per cent on parcel postage and 5 per cent for letter post for SMEs through the An Post Advantage Card will be extended to year-end in order to help small businesses back to recovery and growth;
- There will be no increase in charges for sending Registered Mail, large envelopes and packets within Ireland;
- The revised rates bring An Post in line with European rates and well below the average when adjusted for PPP (purchasing power parity).
Commenting on the news. David McRedmond, chief executive of An Post said: “These increases are necessary for An Post to accelerate its successful transformation into a modern network delivering to every community across the country.
“We’re rebuilding our infrastructure to support growth in eCommerce, expanding our e-Vehicle fleet for fast, sustainable zero-emissions delivery and designing a world-class delivery structure for the community and businesses.”
