The most recognisable stamp is set to expire in just under six months, with people advised to use up their collection before they become worthless.
Royal Mail is now adding barcodes to all of its regular ‘everyday’ stamps - the ones that feature the profile of the Queen on a plain background. The barcodes will give customers the ability to use new services through their stamp by accessing the Royal Mail app when they scan them.
If you use the old stamps after their expiry date, they will be treated as “insufficient postage” - the same as if you forgot to put a stamp on - and you will have to pay an extra fee or the post will be returned to you. Special Stamps, which have a different picture on such as to commemorate an event, and Christmas Stamps that don’t have a barcode will still be valid after the end of January and will not need to be swapped out.
