Short version: no, they don’t expire, and there’s no fine print on that. A Forever stamp you bought in 2012 will mail a letter tomorrow. What trips people up is the stamps sitting next to them in the same drawer, the ones with a number printed on them, because those behave completely differently.
Forever stamps do not expire
Forever stamps carry no expiration date and remain valid for First-Class postage indefinitely. A Forever stamp issued in any year since the introduction of the Forever stamp program remains valid for a one-ounce First-Class Mail letter at the current rate, and the age of the Forever stamp has no effect on the validity of the Forever stamp.
The current First-Class Mail one-ounce rate is 82 cents, which took effect on July 12, 2026. A Forever stamp purchased at any earlier and lower rate is worth 82 cents in postage today.
What happens to an old Forever stamp when the rate rises
A Forever stamp rises in postage value automatically whenever the First-Class Mail one-ounce rate rises, and the holder of the Forever stamp is not required to take any action. No additional postage is required alongside an older Forever stamp, and no exchange at a Post Office is required in order to bring an older Forever stamp up to the current rate.
The mechanism is the absence of a printed denomination on the face of the Forever stamp. A Forever stamp carries no fixed cash amount, so a Forever stamp cannot fall behind the current rate in the way that a denominated stamp falls behind the current rate.
The United States Postal Service raised the First-Class rate to 82 cents on July 12, 2026. Forever stamps bought before July 12, 2026 became worth 82 cents on that date, in the same way that Forever stamps bought before every previous increase became worth each new rate on each previous date.
Denominated stamps behave differently
A denominated stamp carries a printed cash value and is worth that printed value permanently, which means that a denominated stamp does fall behind when the First-Class rate rises. A denominated stamp does not expire either, and a denominated stamp remains valid postage, but a denominated stamp is valid only for the amount printed on the denominated stamp.
A stamp printed at 55 cents is still worth 55 cents in postage today. Mailing a one-ounce letter with that stamp requires an additional 27 cents in postage, because the current First-Class rate of 82 cents exceeds the printed value of the stamp by 27 cents. Additional postage of that kind is commonly supplied by an additional ounce stamp or by a combination of lower-value denominated stamps.
| Stamp type | Expires | Keeps pace with the rate |
|---|---|---|
| Forever stamp | No | Yes |
| Global Forever stamp | No | Yes, against the international rate |
| Denominated stamp | No | No, worth its printed value only |
Global Forever stamps
Global Forever stamps do not expire and follow the same principle as domestic Forever stamps, with one difference in which rate the Global Forever stamp tracks. A Global Forever stamp is valid for a one-ounce international letter at the current international rate of $1.75, and a Global Forever stamp rises with the international rate rather than with the domestic letter rate. The domestic rate and the international rate change independently of one another.
The types of Forever stamp and what each one covers
Several distinct Forever stamps exist, and each type of Forever stamp is tied to a different service rather than to a single universal rate.
- The standard First-Class Forever stamp covers one letter up to one ounce, currently 82 cents.
- The Global Forever stamp covers one international letter up to one ounce, currently $1.75.
- The postcard Forever stamp covers one postcard at the postcard rate, currently 65 cents.
Each type of Forever stamp rises with the rate for its own service. A Global Forever stamp rises with the international letter rate rather than with the First-Class letter rate, and a postcard Forever stamp rises with the postcard rate rather than with the First-Class letter rate. Substituting one type of Forever stamp for another produces either insufficient postage or wasted postage.
Condition is what limits a stamp, not age
Age does not invalidate a Forever stamp, but physical condition does. A Forever stamp that has been canceled, torn, water damaged, or mounted in an album using hinges is not valid for postage, because a canceled or damaged stamp cannot be accepted by the Postal Service as payment. A Forever stamp that remains unused, undamaged, and free of adhesive residue is valid regardless of how long the Forever stamp has been stored.
Storage conditions therefore matter more than the issue date of the stamp. Forever stamps stored flat, dry, and away from direct heat remain usable indefinitely, while Forever stamps exposed to humidity may adhere to one another or lose adhesive and become unusable despite never having been canceled.
How to tell a Forever stamp from a denominated stamp
A Forever stamp is identified by the word FOREVER printed somewhere on the face of the stamp, usually along an edge or beneath the design. A denominated stamp is identified by a number followed by a cent sign or the word cents, printed in a corner or along the bottom of the stamp.
Stamps issued before 2007 are all denominated stamps, because the Forever stamp did not exist before 2007. Stamps issued after 2007 may be either type, because the United States Postal Service continued issuing denominated stamps alongside Forever stamps for specific rates and for commemorative issues.
A mixed collection accumulated over several decades will usually contain both types, and sorting a mixed collection by type is the first useful step toward working out what the collection is worth. Forever stamps in that collection are each worth the current First-Class rate, and denominated stamps in that collection are each worth the number printed on them.
Rate increases and mail already in the system
A rate increase applies to mail entering the system on or after the effective date of the rate increase. A letter already accepted by the United States Postal Service before the effective date travels at the rate paid when the letter was accepted, and no additional postage is collected on that letter.
The risk around a rate increase falls on letters paid with denominated stamps that exactly matched the old rate. A letter bearing precisely 78 cents in denominated stamps was correctly paid before July 12, 2026 and is underpaid by four cents after July 12, 2026, and that letter may be returned for insufficient postage. A letter bearing a single Forever stamp is correctly paid under either rate.
Why holding Forever stamps is not the same as an investment
Holding Forever stamps preserves postage value against rate increases, and holding Forever stamps does so reliably. Holding Forever stamps does not generate a return in the way an investment generates a return, because a Forever stamp can only ever be redeemed for one letter.
The ceiling on a Forever stamp is the thing most often misunderstood. A Forever stamp bought today and held for twenty years will still buy exactly one letter in twenty years. The nominal value of that Forever stamp will have risen, and the purchasing power of that Forever stamp will have stayed flat at one letter.
The practical consequence is that buying Forever stamps in bulk protects against future rate increases only to the extent that the stamps are eventually mailed. Forever stamps bought in a quantity larger than the buyer will ever mail represent money held in a form that cannot be spent on anything except postage.
What old Forever stamps are worth in cash
The postage value of a Forever stamp and the cash value of a Forever stamp are separate figures. A Forever stamp is worth the current First-Class rate of 82 cents in postage, while the cash value of a Forever stamp is whatever a buyer is willing to pay for the Forever stamp. The Postal Service does not repurchase stamps for cash at any age.
Full detail on the difference between the two figures is set out on the Forever stamp values page, and the underlying mechanism is explained in what a Forever stamp is.
Old stamps in a drawer are still worth something
Age doesn’t reduce what we’ll pay. If you’ve found Forever stamps that have been sitting for years, we buy them at 50 percent of face value the same as new ones, and we buy unused denominated stamps too. You’ll get an offer before you send anything. Start on the sell Forever stamps page or check what we pay for the full table, including the rates for non-Forever stamps.
We’ve paid out over $7.4 million to more than 3,200 customers since 2016.