Royal Mail tariff changes: everything you need to know for franking machines

Tuesday, Mar 22nd 2022
Royal Mail Tariff Change 2022

Royal Mail has announced an update to its tariffs, effective 4 April 2022. The good news is that customers with franking machines will continue to save, compared to using stamps, with Mailmark® customers benefiting from the biggest savings. What’s more, Mailmark senders of medium-sized inland parcels (over 1kg) will enjoy significant postage rate reductions.

What does this mean for parcel senders?

The past two years has witnessed a huge rise in the number of parcels being sent and received as shoppers migrated online and people spent more time at home. In fact, the most recent reporting quarter for the Royal Mail showed a 33 per cent increase in domestic parcel volumes compared to the same quarter of the previous financial year.

With this trend set to stay, it’s good news for parcel senders as the postage price of a 1st class medium-sized parcel (1-2kg) will be 33 per cent cheaper compared to last year, and more than 60 per cent cheaper for a larger (10-20kg) parcel.

What franking machine customers need to know

Whether your business sends mostly parcels or letters, or a mix of the two, a franking machine provides the most cost-effective and efficient route to applying postage to outgoing mail.

Mailmark is the most up-to-date franking impression that, through a 2D blue barcode, carries more information about the item being sent. Businesses save with a Mailmark franking machine because it offers the lowest prices for Royal Mail franking products and services.

This is clear to see in the new prices that apply from 4 April when Mailmark franked 1st and 2nd Class letters sent inland will be 17p cheaper, compared to paying for stamps.

However, the benefits of Mailmark don’t stop there. A Mailmark franking machine also helps through:

  • Speed and efficiency – to save time when preparing outgoing mail, you can simply and automatically select Royal Mail products and services. You can also upload credit as and when you need it for efficient postal charge management
  • Tracking and reporting - with Mailmark, you can track your postage spend, monitor usage across the business and improve postal spend management and reporting
  • A professional image – the addition of a company logo, and priority messaging for your recipients, gives business mail the right professional look and helps increase brand awareness.

For standard and smart franking machine customers, 2022 is the year to switch to Mailmark as non-Mailmark machines will be phased out in the coming months. You can continue to benefit from your current machine while you consider your mailing needs so don’t worry about this change, plenty of help is at hand.

How you need to prepare for the 4 April tariff change

You will need to update your Quadient franking machine with the updated charges. Mailmark customers will be instructed to download the new tariff. This is normally available five working days before the effective date and becomes live automatically on 4 April.

Customers of standard and smart meter machines will need to instruct their machines to install or load the new tariff. Instructions on how to do this are available from Quadient’s online knowledge base.  

Where to find support

All Quadient franking machine customers can get tariff change support which includes detailed information on the new tariffs and answers to frequently asked questions. If there’s anything you need help with, just let us know.

You can also find out more about the advanced features of Mailmark franking machines and how they can help your business get the most value from franked mail, simply take a look at Quadient’s franking machine range.