1st Class is Royal Mail's standard next-day service for letters and small parcels, aiming for delivery the next working day. It's the default choice for most personal post, but for sellers the more important question is how the stamp price compares with the online and business rates, because that's where the real cost difference sits.
The 1st Class stamp price vs online postage
The headline 1st Class stamp price is what most people mean when they ask what 1st Class costs, but it's not what a business should be paying. Online postage for the same letter is discounted against the stamp price, and the gap widens as items move up through Large Letter and Small Parcel bands. If you're buying stamps in bulk for business post, you're almost certainly overpaying.
1st Class letter and Large Letter bands
1st Class letters are priced by weight up to 100g, with Large Letters extending that to 750g in several steps. The jump from Letter to Large Letter happens on size, not weight, so an item that's over 5mm thick or beyond the letter dimensions moves into the higher band regardless of how light it is. Measuring before you buy avoids paying Large Letter prices for something that qualifies as a Letter.
1st Class for Small Parcels
Once an item becomes a Small Parcel, 1st Class becomes one option among several, and it's rarely the best one for a business. For the same parcel you can usually get Tracked 24 or Tracked 48 with full tracking for a similar price, which makes plain 1st Class a hard sell for anything a customer is waiting on.
1st Class vs 2nd Class: is the speed worth it?
1st Class aims for next-day delivery, 2nd Class for two to three days. For anything time-sensitive, 1st Class is worth the premium. For anything non-urgent, the difference is essentially free money you're giving away. Most mixed e-commerce operations use 2nd Class or Tracked 48 by default and reserve 1st Class for the occasional urgent item.
Business rates: Account Mail and franking
Businesses sending meaningful volume can access 1st Class rates below both the stamp price and the standard online price, either through a franking machine or an Online Business Account. Our 1st and 2nd Class business prices guide breaks down exactly when each option stops being worth the licence and hardware costs.
Buying 1st Class postage in Click & Drop
Royal Mail's Click & Drop lets you buy 1st Class postage online and print the label yourself, which is where the savings over stamps come from. The label prints as a standard 100 × 150mm barcode, so it works directly with a 4x6 thermal printer without any reformatting.
Checking the July 2026 1st Class rate card
Royal Mail revises its rate card every July, and the 2026 changes adjusted several letter and parcel bands. Rather than relying on last year's figures, check the current rate card or let Click & Drop quote the live price for each item at purchase time.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a 1st Class stamp in July 2026? The 1st Class stamp price is set by Royal Mail each July and rises slightly year on year. Check Royal Mail's current rate card for the exact figure, as it changed from 1 July 2026.
Is 1st Class next-day guaranteed? No. 1st Class is a next-working-day delivery aim, not a guarantee. For a guaranteed next-day service with compensation, use Special Delivery.
Can I print 1st Class labels on a thermal printer? Yes. Postage bought online through Click & Drop prints as a 100 × 150mm barcode label that works directly on a 4x6 thermal printer.
Print 1st Class labels without a fuss
Buy postage online and print a clean 100 × 150mm label on a 4x6 direct thermal printer, no ink or toner required.
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