Buzz
Many things come with an expiration date. Water. A child’s car seat. Bottles of hand sanitizer
The short answer is no, they don’t expire, but there’s an important caveat.
Stamps don’t have a set expiration date, so that book of Winter Olympics commemorative stamps you purchased in 2010 is still technically valid. In fact, you could use some very old stamps if you wanted to. According to the United States Postal Service website:
All postage stamps issued by the United States since 1860 remain valid for postage, whether sent from within the U.S. or from any location where U.S. Mail services operate. You can combine any denomination of stamps to meet the required postage. The total postage must at least match the postage rate for the chosen mail class.
According to USPS, you must use stamps that cover the current cost for mailing a one-ounce letter. This is generally straightforward with Forever stamps, as they’re always valid. However, if a stamp has a set value, you’ll need to ensure it matches or exceeds the current postage rate, which is 60 cents as of now. For example, if you have an old 30-cent stamp, you’ll need to double up to meet the required rate for your letter.
Remember that while stamps don’t have an expiration date, they can still be rejected if damaged, taped over, or if the design is too worn to read properly.
