The short answer
Mailing a postcard is one of the cheapest small acts in travel. In the United States a standard postcard travels at its own rate, below the price of a first-class letter; in the United Kingdom and Australia the same pattern holds — the amount is small enough that the real question is never the money. It matters more that you use the right stamp.
The exact figure changes, so here is the honest version. After the July 2026 rate increase, a US Forever stamp costs 82 cents, and the postcard rate — which is set separately and always sits below the letter rate — changed in the same filing. The current postcard number is published on the official USPS rate page rather than guessed at here. For a standard card within the postcard size limits, a postcard stamp is all you need; anything larger or heavier mails as a letter.
What the rate pays for
A standard postcard is a single piece of card within set size bounds — roughly the classic 4-by-6 you can write a message on and fit in a rack of souvenirs. Within those bounds it travels domestically at the postcard rate, because the postal service sorts it separately from letters. Go bigger, thicker, or heavier and it quietly becomes a letter: same journey, higher price. If your card is a standard postcard, the postcard stamp does the entire job.
That size rule matters more than the price list. An oversized card surprises people at the counter far more often than an expensive one does — which is why the practical advice is always to check the card's size before you buy its stamp.
The 2026 US rate change
July 2026 brought the latest increase: the Forever stamp rose to 82 cents, the figure behind most "how much does mail cost" questions, and postcard postage moved in the same filing. US rates now tend to shift about once or twice a year, so the durable fact is the gap rather than the number: a standard postcard undercuts a first-class letter, and international postage always costs more than domestic.
If you are mailing from the United States, the practical takeaway is simple: ask for a postcard stamp at the counter or choose the postcard option online, and the machine will charge you the lower rate. Buying a Forever stamp for a postcard works, but it pays more than the card needs.
Mailing from the United Kingdom and Australia
Outside the United States the shape is similar but not identical. In the United Kingdom a postcard travels as a standard letter, so it pays the letter rate — there is no separate, cheaper postcard class. In Australia a postcard has its own class with its own price, normally a little below the letter rate.
For every country the current figures live on the official postal site, and rates drift with each filing. The pattern you can rely on anywhere: a standard postcard costs no more than the smallest letter, international costs more, and asking at the counter takes thirty seconds.
Five ways to get the stamp right
Getting postage right is easier than it sounds. These five rules cover nearly every card:
1. Buy the postcard stamp, not the letter stamp — in the US and Australia it is the cheaper option, and it is sold specifically for cards. 2. A Forever stamp on a postcard is never wrong — it simply pays more than the card needs, which is your choice to make. 3. International needs international postage — a domestic stamp does not carry a card across borders. 4. Size beats price — a standard card takes the standard stamp; only oversized or heavy cards need more. 5. When in doubt, ask at the counter — the clerk weighs nothing, charges the right rate, and usually sells you the stamp on the spot.
Why the cost is part of the charm
A postcard's stamp is part of its story. The little rectangle of paper is what turns a card into a traveled object rather than a print, and the postmark beside it is the proof of the journey. Postage is also why the form survives: sending a card costs less than a coffee, which keeps the ritual affordable in an age of instant messages.
The whole process — choosing the card, addressing it, buying the postage, and handing it to the world — is covered step by step in our sending guide. The words belong in what to write on a postcard, and if you are dating a card from an earlier rate era, how to date a postcard reads the clues. Start the journey at the countries of the atlas, where every card is waiting to be written on and mailed.
How much is a postcard stamp in 2026?
In the United States the postcard rate sits below the 82-cent Forever stamp introduced in July 2026; the exact figure is set by USPS and published on its official rate page. In the United Kingdom postcards mail at the letter rate, and in Australia they have their own, lower rate.
Is it cheaper to mail a postcard than a letter?
Yes — that is the purpose of the postcard class in the United States and Australia. A standard postcard costs less than the smallest letter. In the United Kingdom the two travel at the same letter rate, so a postcard saves nothing there but costs nothing extra either.
Can I use a Forever stamp on a postcard?
Yes. A Forever stamp always covers first-class postage, and a postcard needs less than a letter, so you are simply overpaying by the difference. A postcard stamp is the economical choice, but a Forever stamp will never be rejected on a card.
How long does a postcard take to arrive?
Domestically a card usually arrives within about a week; across borders, allow a week or two or more. The postmark — not the arrival date — is the souvenir, and the sending guide explains what to expect at each step.