Martin Lewis has told his viewers to stock up on a common household item before another price increase on April 7. The personal finance expert highlighted how stamps are going up in price again – for the eighth time since 2020.

On X this week the Martin Lewis Money Show Live account highlighted the imminent rise. And on the show, one viewer revealed they’d saved thousands of pounds.

Martin Lewis said: “Stamps. Prices are rising up to 6 per cent. 10p on a first classs letter sized stamp. You can stomp down on this – all you have to do is go buy your stamps now as long as it says first or second on them they are valid in perpetuity. You may as well buy them when they’re cheaper.

“You’re going to be sending Christmas cards this Christmas – buy your stamps now .“ One viewer, James, said: “Following Martin’s comments on stamps going up, we bought £10,000 worth of first-class stamps for our business in 2022. We have used 80% of them and only have 1,900 left. However, their value now is still over £5,300 – with all the price rises – our most profitable investment in the last four years. Many thanks.”

Martin added: “Yes i’ve been saying this a long time – I say this every time the prices go up.” Royal Mail will increase the price of 1st class stamps to £1.80 and 2nd class stamps to 91p, from April 6. The cost of a 1st class stamp in 2020 was 76p. From April 7th 2026, consumers will have to pay £1.80 (up 10p), which is a 137% increase compared to six years ago. Since 2020, the cost of a 1st class stamp has risen eight times, Citizens Advice has said.

The cost of many of Royal Mail’s ‘Signed For’, ‘Special Delivery Guaranteed’ and ‘Tracked’ services will also increase from Tuesday 7 April, as will the cost of sending parcels by first and second class. See a full list of prices.

Mr Lewis previously explained people should buy stamps now to stockpile them before the rise, as they will still be valid to use. He said: “For years, every time stamps go up in price I’ve suggested people stock up and bulk-buy in advance, as provided the stamp doesn’t have a price on it and instead just says the postage class, it’s still valid after the rise.

“This has been an effective tactic, as a first-class letter stamp is now £1.70, soon rising to £1.80 – in 2012 it was just 60p. So you may as well stock up now if you’re going to need stamps.”

The last time Royal Mail met an annual delivery target was in the financial year 2019-2020. Recently Royal Mail was accused by MPs of “lying” about its performance and “pretending” not to prioritise parcels over letters.

It comes amid concerns Royal Mail is not meeting Ofcom targets for timeliness in its deliveries, potentially leading to millions of letters arriving late. Labour MP Dave Robertson said people in his constituency are “sick of being lied to by Royal Mail”. The Lichfield MP said: “I met Royal Mail just before Christmas to complain to them about the total lack of a postal service that we have in Lichfield. We were probably the worst area in the country at that point.

“I was told when I had that meeting that all of the first-class mail went out that week. That is a lie, it is an absolute lie, because my constituents told me. Royal Mail clearly don’t have a handle on this – they are either not measuring their performance or they are covering up their performance.”

Anne Pardoe, Head of Policy at Citizens Advice, said: “The price of 1st and 2nd class stamps can’t be treated as a dial that is turned up without a clear justification for consumers, forcing people to dig deeper into their pockets for a failing service.

“More than half a decade has gone by since the company met its delivery targets and people still face a gamble, with many uncertain if their important documents or letters like medical appointments will arrive on time.

“Things only risk getting worse when cuts to delivery days and reduced performance targets come into full effect. Against this backdrop, Ofcom simply cannot wave through these increases any longer. Higher prices must come with higher standards – increases should be tied to Royal Mail’s performance on the doorstep.”

Richard Travers, managing director of letters at Royal Mail said: “We always consider price changes very carefully, balancing affordability with the rising cost of delivering mail. On average, UK adults now spend just £6.50 each year on stamps and there are 70% fewer letters sent than 20 years ago. In the meantime, the number of addresses we deliver to has increased by four million to 32 million addresses across the UK.”