Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Phoebe Jobling

Martin Lewis urges fans to stock up on common 66p item ahead of April 4 price hike

Martin Lewis has shared some fresh advice to help people prepare ahead of a surge in energy prices.

The Money Saving Expert founder warned about forthcoming price rises which will impact Brits in the coming months.

Martin revealed that the price of stamps and prescriptions will rise from April 4, the Manchester Evening News reports.

First class stamps are going up by 10p to 95p, and 2nd class stamps will now cost 68p, up by 2p.

Consumer expert Martin issued a useful tip to adults in the UK to help them save money ahead of Christmas.

"The key rule here is to stock up now on these class stamps i.e those that say first or second. In the past when prices went up I'd always say you could use them indefinitely but you can only use these until January 31, 2023," Martin said.

Martin Lewis presenting the Money Show Live TV programme (ITV)

"So buy [these] Christmas' stamps now if you can do so."

Ordinary stamps are set to be replaced by bar coded stamps from February 2023.

Martin also advised that you could still buy the existing stamps now, and then swap them in for the new ones via a free scheme that is going to come later in the year.

"But if you are going to use stamps in the future, you may as well buy them in now whilst they are cheap," he added.

His advice comes as family finances face being stretched as Ofgem's price cap will rise for 22 million homeowners, with the average household bill increasing by around £693 per year.

Earlier this week Martin issued a new video with three things everyone must do before prices rise on April 1.

Stamps are set to go up in price next month, Martin warned (PA)

This included checking if you can stockpile energy now to beat the price hike, taking a meter reading now if you pay by direct debit and checking how you can claim a £150 council tax rebate from April.

"Keep an eye out for a letter from the council because each council will tell you its claim system and you need to watch for that,” said Martin.

"If you're not eligible for the £150, say, because you're in a higher band, then there is a discretionary £140 million fund being set-up to help those who are struggling.

“It will be up to each council to decide how it distributes it, but be ready to claim that."

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.