A top-notch travesty: With stamps now costing £1.65 each, we sent out 100 cards to test Christmas mail

Millions of us post gifts and cards for loved ones across the UK and keep our fingers crossed that they arrive for Christmas within the timescales promised by Royal Mail. But will they?

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

We send cards with first class stamps, meaning those sent to UK addresses should have arrived on people’s doormats the next working day.

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

From what we’ve seen, it’s no surprise that one in ten people who usually send Christmas cards won’t do so this year, according to a survey, and that boxed card sales fell 23 per cent at John Lewis in 2024 .

As the price of stamps continues to rise and postage doesn’t arrive on time, more and more people simply give up.

Letter volume has fallen from a peak of 20 billion in 2004/5 to just seven billion in 2022/3. In response, Royal Mail increases prices further, which in turn discourages senders from sending letters.

Last week Royal Mail was fined £10.5m for failing to meet postal delivery targets. According to regulator Ofcom, only 74.7 per cent of first-class stamps arrived on time in 2023-24, despite a target of 93 per cent.

Only 92.7 percent of second-class mail was delivered on time, below its target of 98.5 percent.

This is the second fine Royal Mail has received in the last 12 months after the watchdog fined it £5.6m in November 2023.

Ian Strawhorne, Ofcom’s enforcement director, said: “Too many people don’t get what they pay for when they buy a stamp.”

Politicians, business groups and campaigners have warned of further price rises and a decline in 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 £3.6bn deal, but no promise has been made to keep costs fair for consumers.

Of the cards sent by Money Mail, some that have not yet arrived were sent to destinations just a few miles away. A card sent to Balham has yet to arrive in the letterbox despite two other cards arriving safely in the south west London area.

Cards sent to Borehamwood in Hertfordshire and Belfast have also not turned up yet. It took ten days for a 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 Australia, as well as Cape Town in South Africa and Los Angeles and South Carolina in the United States are still waiting for their Christmas cards.

The poor service is even more galling considering the price of a first-class stamp soared once 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.

The October price increase came just months after the previous price increase in April and another increase in October last year. They used to cost £1.10, 55p less than the current cost.

Second class stamps cost a more modest 85p, as the price has not increased since a 10p increase in April.

A Royal Mail spokesperson says: ‘Our independently regulated service quality reports show 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 percent of items shipped before the latest shipping dates arrived before Christmas; we are well prepared to deliver again this year with over 16,000 additional employees helping to deliver the festive mailbag.’

How can I make sure my card arrives on time?

If you haven’t posted your Christmas cards yet, you’re doing it right. The last postage date for second class letters arriving before Christmas is today, while cards with a first class stamp should be sent by Friday.

While you may not be able to beat postal fever this year, you can take steps to improve your chances next year. Postmasters recommend sending gifts and cards sooner rather than later, before peak posting day.

Earlier this month, the Post Office revealed that December 9 was the busiest day for posting as everyone races to make sure their Christmas cards and gifts arrive on time.

When shipping a package, ask about the best delivery options for you. Also, use tracked and signed services when sending gifts to give you added peace of mind, says the Post Office.

There are other shipping options for sending cards with Royal Mail apart from the classic first and second class stamps.

A signed letter in first class costs £3.35, while the same in second class costs £2.55. If you would like special delivery, guaranteed before 1pm, the cost is £7.75.

All prices indicated are for standard cards. This means that it can weigh up to 100 g and not exceed 24 cm in length, 16.5 cm in width and 0.5 cm in depth.

You can get compensation if your letter arrives late. If a first-class letter arrives three or more business days after its due date, it is classified as late.

For a letter sent by second class, it is considered late if it has not arrived three or more days after the due date. Typical compensation is a book of first-class stamps.

L.evans@dailymail.co.uk