Deutsche Post has announced a price increase in postage. Customers will soon have to pay more to send a letter. Other services are also affected by the planned price increase.
Deutsche Post announced on Wednesday that it wanted to raise the cost of postage. From 2022, customers should therefore have to dig deeper into their pockets. The post wants to increase the letter prices by five cents, according to a press release. Customers who want to send a standard letter, for example, will have to pay 85 cents instead of 80 cents from January. Sending a postcard is said to be ten cents more expensive and therefore cost 70 cents.
Post’s forwarding service is also to be changed; the online price for the 12-month product is to rise from 26.90 euros for private customers to 30.90 euros. The online prices for the 6-month variant, however, remain stable at 23.90 euros for private customers. What is new is that in future customers will also be able to take advantage of the 6-month service in the branch. However, this then costs more than in the online offer – namely 26.90 euros or 42.90 euros.
Federal Network Agency formulates scope for price increases
The reason for the increase in postage prices is the decision of the Federal Network Agency, which, as the competent regulatory authority, has approved a scope for price increases. Deutsche Post is allowed to raise postage on this basis. Said leeway is 4.6 percent – that is how much the shopping cart for all regulated types of consignment can become more expensive. The value is relatively low, with the postage increase in 2019 it was around 8.9 percent.
It is precisely this decision that Deutsche Post complains about. According to her, the approved leeway is less than the compensation for the wage cost increases that have occurred in the meantime. And it is “certainly not a compensation for the expected increase in unit costs over the next few years due to the further decline in letter volumes, higher inflation and additional costs for a more climate-friendly letter service.” The scope for wage increases for employees of Deutsche Post within the next three years will be significantly restricted, it said. Higher wage and transport costs as well as increased inflation rates and “pandemic-related additional expenses in the operating facilities and in delivery” would have caused “considerable costs” for Deutsche Post.
Postage prices in Germany are comparatively low
Deutsche Post draws attention to the fact that German postage is still one of the lowest in Europe, even with the upcoming price increase. In May 2021, Denmark topped the list of postage costs for a national standard letter at EUR 3.88. In Belgium a standard letter cost 1.60 euros and in Poland 0.89 euros. Germany was in the lower midfield. Of the other selected European countries, Malta had the cheapest postage at 30 euro cents.
Deutsche Post has yet to submit the new postage prices to the Federal Network Agency for approval. However, if these are within the specified range, they are approved. The prices are then valid for the next three years. The stamps with the new postage values should then be available from December 2, 2021.
Sources:,, with DPA
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
