Royal Mail to make huge change as shoppers face Christmas surcharge

Royal Mail is making major changes ahead of Christmas as they introduce a new surcharge for businesses that could have a knock-on effect for customers.

Business account customers are being asked to pay a new 2p green surcharge from Monday, November 6.

While the surcharge won’t be directly charged to consumers, there is a fear businesses could up their prices to cover the extra cost.

The surcharge will apply against:

Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed by 9am, 1pm and end of the day Sunday
Royal Mail Tracked 24 and Royal Mail Tracked 48
Royal Mail 24 and Royal Mail 48
Special Delivery Guaranteed Returns
Royal Mail Tracked Returns

Business account customers will pay an additional surcharge of 5p for letters and 10p for parcels later this month.

This is expected to come into effect from November 20 and end on January 7 – covering the peak Christmas delivery timeframe.

Sarah Coles, personal finance analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, told The Sun: “Online retailers are having to contend with rising prices on all sides, so they’re highly unlikely to take these extra charges on the chin.

“It’s going to be passed onto shoppers, who can expect to see the cost of Christmas keep on rising.”

In October, Royal Mail announced a price increase for first class stamps, with them now costing £1.25 in comparison to £1.10.

Andrew Hagger, personal finance expert at Moneycomms, said the possibility of additional costs is the “last thing hard pressed consumers need”.

The 2p green surcharge is applied by the Royal Mail to its business customers fund its decarbonisation measures.