A primary-class farce: With stamps now costing £1.65 every, we despatched 100 playing cards to check the Christmas submit

Millions of us are posting presents and cards to loved ones across the UK and crossing our fingers that they will arrive by Christmas within the timeframes promised by Royal Mail. But will they?

Money Mail decided to find out. We sent 100 Christmas cards to family and friends around the country and the world to find out how long it would take for them to arrive.

We sent the cards using first-class stamps, which means that those sent to addresses in the UK should have landed on people’s doormats the next working day.

But, just 16 of the cards we sent from the Daily Mail offices in Kensington, London, on December 4 arrived on time. Some eight households are still waiting for theirs.

From what we’ve seen, it is no wonder that one in ten people who usually send Christmas cards will not this year, according to a survey, and that sales of boxed cards fell by 23 per cent at John Lewis in 2024.

As the price of stamps continues to rise and post regularly fails to arrive on time, growing numbers are simply giving up.

Letter volumes have dropped from a peak of 20 billion in 2004/5 to just seven billion in 2022/3. In response, Royal Mail puts up prices even further, which in turn puts off senders from posting letters.

Royal Mail was last week fined £10.5million for missing postal delivery targets. Just 74.7 per cent of first-class stamps arrived on time in 2023-24, despite a target of 93 per cent, according to the regulator Ofcom. 

Just 92.7 per cent of second-class mail was delivered on time, under its goal of 98.5 per cent.

This is the second fine Royal Mail has been hit with in the past 12 months after it was clobbered with a £5.6 million penalty by the watchdog in November 2023. 

Ian Strawhorne, Ofcom director of enforcement, said: ‘Far too many people aren’t getting what they pay for when they buy a stamp.’

Politicians, business groups and campaigners have warned of even more price hikes and declining quality after the Government this week allowed Royal Mail to fall into foreign hands for the first time in its 500-year history.

Billionaire Daniel Kretinsky will take over the service in a £3.6 billion deal, but no promise has been made to keep costs fair for consumers.

Of the cards sent by Money Mail, some that have still to arrive were sent to destinations just a few miles away. One card sent to Balham is yet to drop through the letterbox despite two other cards safely arriving in the south-west London area.

Cards sent to Borehamwood in Hertfordshire and Belfast have also yet to turn up. It took ten days for one card to travel just three miles down the road to Putney, London.

Locations where cards were delivered on time include Norfolk, Kensington, Dorking, West Drayton and Penarth.

But friends and family in locations in Australia, as well as Cape Town in South Africa and Los Angeles and South Carolina in the US are still waiting on their Christmas cards.

The poor service is even more galling considering the price of a first-class stamp shot up yet again in October, from £1.35 to £1.65. This means a book of eight first-class stamps now costs an extra 22 per cent at £13.20 and a book of six first-class stamps costs £9.90.

October’s price increase came just months after the previous price rise in April and another hike in October last year. Before this they were £1.10, 55p lower than today’s cost.

Second-class stamps are a more modest 85p, as the price has not risen since a 10p rise in April.

A Royal Mail spokesman says: ‘Our independently regulated quality of service reporting shows that the vast majority of items arrive within one day and 92 per cent arrive within two days. A sample size of 100 is not representative of our standard of service.

‘We will deliver 35 million letters, including Christmas cards, on our busiest day this week. Last year more than 99 per cent of items posted before the last posting dates arrived before Christmas, we are well prepared to deliver again this year with more than 16,000 additional staff helping to deliver the festive mailbag.’

How can I make sure my card arrives on time?

If you haven’t yet posted your Christmas cards, you’re cutting it fine. The last posting date for second-class letters to arrive by Christmas is today, whereas cards with a first-class stamp need to be posted by Friday.

While you may not be able to beat the postal rush this year, you can take steps to improve your chances next year. Postmasters recommend sending gifts and cards earlier rather than later, ahead of the peak day for posting.

The Post Office earlier this month revealed December 9 was the busiest day for posting as everyone rushes to make sure their Christmas cards and presents arrive on time.

When sending a parcel, ask about the best delivery options for you. Plus, use tracked and signed for services when sending presents to give you extra peace of mind, the Post Office says.

There are other postage options for sending cards with Royal Mail aside from the classic first-class and second-class stamps.

A first-class signed-for letter costs £3.35 while the same in second-class costs £2.55. If you want Special Delivery, guaranteed by 1pm, the cost is £7.75.

All prices listed are for standard letters. This means it can weigh up to 100g and be no larger than 24cm in length, 16.5cm in width and 0.5cm in depth.

You can get compensation if your letter is late. If a first-class letter arrives three or more working days after its due date, it’s classed as delayed. 

For a letter sent via second-class, it’s considered delayed if it has not arrived three or more days after the due date. The typical compensation is a book of first-class stamps.

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