Tag: Royal Mail

Britain’s Royal Mail introduced one of the most radical changes ever to the postal system Tuesday, letting customers buy stamps online — but the move sparked a royal row centred on the queen’s head.
People unwilling to wait in lengthy post office queues or those who have run out of stamps when the shops are closed will be able to print out unique bar codes directly onto envelopes or sticky labels at the click of a mouse.
Royal Mail said the move was one of the most important to the postal system since the introduction of the Penny Black — the world’s first adhesive stamp — in 1840.

Royal Mail today launched a new service that allows the general public to buy and print their postage online for the first time.

The online postage service gives customers more choice and flexibility in the way they access Royal Mail’s services 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Customers pay for their postage on the internet by selecting the appropriate amount for their letter or parcel, and paying by debit or credit card or via a pre-pay account. A unique barcode is then printed directly onto envelopes, labels or paper before posting in the normal way.

There is no subscription fee to the service – available from www.royalmail.com – and tariffs are the same as normal postage. Customers can choose from a full range of posting options, from First Class to international services. Customers can also print out a variety of forms online, including a Certificate of Posting and Customs forms for international postings.

Customers of the Royal Mail postal service will be able to pay for their postage online and print out unique bar codes directly onto envelopes from today, The Times reported.

The newspaper reported that the Royal Mail says the move is one of the most significant changes to the postal system since the Penny Black, the world’s first adhesive stamp, was introduced in 1840. The historic stamp was introduced to shift the cost of postage to the sender, instead of the recipient.

Customers will have to set up an online account and can then pay for postage using either a credit card or a prepaid account, selecting the appropriate amount for their letter or parcel.

The new service comes shortly after the Royal Mail introduced a new system for sending items, based on the size as well as the weight of the package.

Six holders of the Victoria Cross are to be immortalised on a set of stamps to mark the 150th anniversary of the introduction of the medal.

And as a reminder of modern heroism in Iraq and Afghanistan, the presentation pack will include a tribute by Gen Sir Peter de la Billiere, the commander of British Forces in the first Gulf war.

The Royal Mail heroes include Midshipman Charles Lucas, the first person to win the VC. Michael Adams, 61, a broker from Oxfordshire and the great-grandson of Midshipman Lucas, supports the launch of the stamps on Thursday, as does Col Rewati Rai, a soldier in the Indian Army and the son of Cpl Agansing Rai, a Gurkha who won the VC in 1944 for attacking a Japanese machine gun nest in Burma.

Midshipman Lucas was serving on HMS Hecla during the Crimean War when his ship came under fire. When a live shell landed on deck, the 20-year-old grabbed it and hurled it overboard. The shell exploded as it hit the sea, but the sailor’s swift and heroic action saved many lives.

Boy 1st Class John Cornwell was only 16 when, serving in the Royal Navy in the First World War, he died heroically at the Battle of Jutland. Also honoured are Noel Chavasse, a First World War Army doctor; Charles Upham, a New Zealander, who was sent to Colditz; and Albert Ball, a fighter ace who was lost in action in 1917.