Royal Mail Issues Revised Access Mail Prices for December 2026

Royal Mail has withdrawn its original proposed Access Mail price changes and issued revised prices, now intended to take effect in early December 2026. Citipost Mail will continue to review the detail alongside the Mail Competition Forum and keep customers informed.

Royal Mail has issued an important update on its proposed Access Mail price changes.

Following the suspension of the original price increases, which had been due to take effect on 5 October 2026, Royal Mail has now withdrawn its original notification and issued revised Access Mail prices under a new Contract Change Notice.

The new prices are currently intended to take effect in early December 2026, subject to no further complaints being raised with Ofcom. The industry, and specifically the Mail Competition Forum (MCF), will review the revised notification and its implications in detail.

Background

In July, Royal Mail announced proposed increases to its Access Mail prices. Following concerns from Access operators and mail customers about the scale and potential impact of those increases, the MCF submitted a formal dispute application to Ofcom.

Ofcom accepted the dispute for resolution, which resulted in the original October price changes being suspended. As we confirmed in our previous update, this meant there was no Access Mail price increase on 5 October 2026.

Royal Mail has now withdrawn that original proposal and issued revised prices intended to take effect from December.

What has changed?

The key development is that the original Royal Mail price notification will no longer take effect. It has been replaced with a revised notice containing new Access Mail charges.

Royal Mail has stated that the revised increases are lower than those originally proposed. However, the effect on individual mail items will vary depending on the product, format, weight, service level, sortation and presentation specification used.

This means there is no single percentage increase that applies across every mail item. The most relevant measure for customers will be the impact on their own mail volumes, specifications and planned campaign activity.

What happens next?

The revised prices are intended to take effect in early December 2026. However, this remains subject to the industry’s review of the new notification and to no further complaints being raised with Ofcom.

Citipost Mail will work closely with the MCF and other industry partners to review the revised pricing, understand the potential implications for Access customers and ensure customers’ interests continue to be represented.

We will also review the detailed tariff changes across Citipost Mail services, enabling us to provide accurate, relevant guidance to customers on the practical impact for their campaigns.

Supporting your mail campaign plans

We recognise that price changes can have an impact on budgets, volume forecasts and campaign planning. As direct-mail specialists, our role is to help customers understand the options available and continue to make informed, cost-effective decisions about their mail activity.

In the meantime, please speak to your usual contact if you would like to discuss planned campaigns, mail campaign timings or alternative specifications and services.

We will continue to share updates as the position develops.