# What is the cost of a first class letter in the US? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 20, 2010, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-cost-of-a-first-class-letter-in-the-us/561378 "2010-11-20T23:32:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2010, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-cost-of-a-first-class-letter-in-the-us/561378/1 "2010-11-20T23:32:44Z")
I am visiting the US and I have just spent the last ten minutes unsuccessfully googling to try to find the cost to mail a first class letter. I get all kinds of ads for fancy stamps, for cost of mail-order, an [ask.com](http://ask.com) window that was unable to answer my question, but no list of postal rates. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2010, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-cost-of-a-first-class-letter-in-the-us/561378/2 "2010-11-20T23:35:05Z")
44 cents for up to one ounce. [http://www.usps.com/prices/first-class-mail-prices.htm](http://www.usps.com/prices/first-class-mail-prices.htm) ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2010, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-cost-of-a-first-class-letter-in-the-us/561378/3 "2010-11-20T23:36:34Z")
Up to one ounce-44 cents. [Prices](http://www.usps.com/prices/first-class-mail-prices.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2010, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-cost-of-a-first-class-letter-in-the-us/561378/4 "2010-11-21T01:33:32Z")
BTW-- one rate will take your letter anywhere in the US–whether from Alaska to Florida, Hawaii to New York City, or just next door. Pretty darn quick, too.🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2010, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-cost-of-a-first-class-letter-in-the-us/561378/5 "2010-11-21T01:38:37Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > BTW-- one rate will take your letter anywhere in the US. And to US territories like US Virgin Islands or Guam. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2010, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-cost-of-a-first-class-letter-in-the-us/561378/6 "2010-11-21T01:43:23Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > Guam. Mail going here must be sealed with a piece of bubbleguam. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2010, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-cost-of-a-first-class-letter-in-the-us/561378/7 "2010-11-21T07:43:29Z")
If you can buy “Forever” stamps, do so. If the postage rates go up in the future, you can use them on first class mail without having to buy extra stamps to make up the difference between the old and new rates. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-cost-of-a-first-class-letter-in-the-us/561378/8 "2010-11-22T22:16:11Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > I am visiting the US and I have just spent the last ten minutes unsuccessfully googling to try to find the cost to mail a first class letter. I get all kinds of ads for fancy stamps, for cost of mail-order, an [ask.com](http://ask.com) window that was unable to answer my question, but no list of postal rates. Can I ask what terms you tried to google? “cost of a first class stamp” returned the answer with the first hit and “cost of a first class letter” had relevant info in the top two (the answer being in the second hit). ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-cost-of-a-first-class-letter-in-the-us/561378/9 "2010-11-22T22:37:28Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > And to US territories like US Virgin Islands or Guam. And to military bases overseas, if you use a U.S. APO address. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-cost-of-a-first-class-letter-in-the-us/561378/10 "2010-11-22T22:43:26Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > Can I ask what terms you tried to google? “cost of a first class stamp” returned the answer with the first hit and “cost of a first class letter” had relevant info in the top two (the answer being in the second hit). US Postal Service’s site is horrible to the point of hair-pulling. ---
**Author:** ![AmunRa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@AmunRa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AmunRa)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-cost-of-a-first-class-letter-in-the-us/561378/11 "2010-11-23T00:53:24Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > US Postal Service’s site is horrible to the point of hair-pulling. Really? I just went to [usps.com](http://usps.com), clicked “Calculate Postage,” and clicked “First-Class Mail Prices.” Two clicks to find what the OP was looking for is “horrible?” ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-cost-of-a-first-class-letter-in-the-us/561378/12 "2010-11-23T06:13:11Z")
For that matter, you could have asked almost anybody and they could have told you the answer. The desk clerk at your hotel, your hosts, the clerk in the store where you bought an envelope, etc. ---
**Author:** ![J\_Cubed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@J\_Cubed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/J_Cubed)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-cost-of-a-first-class-letter-in-the-us/561378/13 "2010-11-23T06:39:22Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > Can I ask what terms you tried to google? “cost of a first class stamp” returned the answer with the first hit and “cost of a first class letter” had relevant info in the top two (the answer being in the second hit). If the OP had brought a laptop and/or signed into Google with an account that was set to a different default location, that search may not have had the same results. > [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > For that matter, you could have asked almost anybody and they could have told you the answer. The desk clerk at your hotel, your hosts, the clerk in the store where you bought an envelope, etc. I couldn’t have told you. I can usually tell you what price it **used to be** , a feat accomplished by merely checking the stamps in my drawer. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-cost-of-a-first-class-letter-in-the-us/561378/14 "2010-11-23T11:04:11Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > And to military bases overseas, if you use a U.S. APO address. And to naval ships at sea, if you use a FPO address. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-cost-of-a-first-class-letter-in-the-us/561378/15 "2010-11-23T11:53:27Z")
> [@mbh](#): > > And to naval ships at sea, if you use a FPO address. This implies you can send a letter from border to border and coast to coast and all the ships at sea, without even worrying about the wind chill. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-cost-of-a-first-class-letter-in-the-us/561378/16 "2010-11-23T11:56:35Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > without even worrying about the wind chill. Why would that be a factor? ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-cost-of-a-first-class-letter-in-the-us/561378/17 "2010-11-23T13:50:49Z")
I sense the wind chill has dropped another couple more degrees from the massive whoosh that just blew by. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-cost-of-a-first-class-letter-in-the-us/561378/18 "2010-11-23T14:10:26Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > This implies you can send a letter from border to border and coast to coast and all the ships at sea, without even worrying about the wind chill. That was enjoyably subtle… ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-cost-of-a-first-class-letter-in-the-us/561378/19 "2010-11-23T14:13:41Z")
FYI: A first-class letter for 44 cents is limited to a certain size (standard #10 envelope will do); it can’t be lumpy or square or over an ounce or there is an additional charge. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-cost-of-a-first-class-letter-in-the-us/561378/20 "2010-11-23T14:14:22Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > I sense the wind chill has dropped another couple more degrees from the massive whoosh that just blew by. [Wind chill **factor**](http://science.howstuffworks.com/nature/climate-weather/atmospheric/question70.htm) 😉 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-cost-of-a-first-class-letter-in-the-us/561378.md?page=2)