Freepost EXPLAINED
Explaining printed Freepost envelopes from the Royal Mail in 2026
Freepost envelopes are Royal Mail–licensed reply envelopes that let customers return mail without a stamp. You pay an annual £99.90 licence, then only the postage for each item returned (from 89p). Choose “Plus” for 100g letters or “Standard” if you also need C4 “Large Letter” size.
Freepost Envelopes, are 'No Stamp Required' Envelopes within the UK. They are part of the Royal Mail response service.
They encourage customers to respond to you, or your company, without paying Royal Mail postage costs. You'll pay it for them.
Freepost envelopes are the professional way to do it, and Trade Printing UK can print them (after you first apply for a licence from Royal Mail — see below) with your company's details and logo, following Royal Mail's layout guidelines.
Trade Printing UK is the leading Freepost envelope printing company within the print sector. Freepost Envelopes can be printed from as little as £19 and come with FREE DELIVERY.
I want Freepost Envelopes — how do I get them?
You'll need to apply to the Royal Mail to buy either a 'Freepost Standard' or 'Freepost Plus' licence. e.g. AAAA-BBBB-CCCC).
You only pay for post that you receive back from customers.
You pay Royal Mail for this on a MONTHLY basis.
How much does a Freepost Licence Cost?
An annual licence fee of £99.90 + VAT per year — paid up front to Royal Mail. Any added licences cost £98 + VAT per year if you have 10+ other branches.
The Response Services' Annual Licence fee allows you to choose either:
✓ Freepost Standard / Business Reply Standard
or
✓ Freepost PLUS / Business Reply PLUS
Choose a 'Standard' or 'PLUS' licence bundle, depending on your requirements below...
How much will it cost me for each Freepost envelope with the Royal Mail?
Once you have a Royal Mail licence, you then pay a price per single response.
You pay Royal Mail — on a MONTHLY account basis — for EACH returned Freepost envelope that a customer sends back to you. This encompasses items up to a 100g weight.
There are TWO types of Freepost licence available:
✓ PLUS which is machine-sorted and more efficient
✓ STANDARD which is machine or hand-sorted depending on envelope size.
You'll need a separate licence for each office address, if you have more than one.
Under a PLUS licence for DL + C5 "Letter" sizes ONLY! — (C4 is not available)
Freepost PLUS — 1st Class: £1.77
Freepost PLUS — 2nd Class: 89p
Under a STANDARD licence for DL + C5 "Letter" sizes —
Freepost STANDARD — 1st Class: £2.02
Freepost STANDARD — 2nd Class: £1.16
C4 "Large Letter" size is ONLY available under a STANDARD licence — up to 100g weight and is more expensive, due to being hand sorted by humans
Freepost STANDARD C4 — 1st Class: £2.51
Freepost STANDARD C4 — 2nd Class: £1.35
Additional Information: Freepost STANDARD Service:
• This service is designed for businesses to receive responses from customers or prospects.
• It covers various formats including Letters, Large Letters, and small parcels.
• Prices vary based on the weight and format of the item being sent.
Additional Information: Large Letter Format:
For context, Royal Mail defines a Large Letter as an item that:
• Is up to 250mm wide
• Is up to 25mm thick
• Weighs no more than 750g
It's worth noting that for items heavier than 750g, they would typically fall into the parcel category, which has different pricing structures.
Here is Royal Mail's latest 2026 Response Services Rate Card.
Freepost Services Pricing
Licence Fees
| Service | Annual Licence Fee |
|---|---|
| Freepost Plus and Freepost Standard | £99.90 |
Freepost PLUS prices:
| Format | Item weight | 1st Class | 2nd Class |
|---|---|---|---|
| Letter | 0-100g | £2.02 | £1.16 |
| Large Letter | 0-100g | £2.51 | £1.35 |
| Large Letter | 101-250g | £3.40 | £1.87 |
| Large Letter | 251-500g | £4.62 | £2.69 |
| Large Letter | 501-750g | £6.63 | £3.82 |
How long does Freepost take to be delivered?
Freepost envelopes are treated the same way as normal UK post. They have the same delivery time as any other 1st Class or 2nd Class post.
1st Class post will be delivered to you in 1-2 days
2nd Class post will be delivered to you in 2-4 days within the UK and Northern Ireland usually.
How do I get Freepost envelopes PRINTED after I have my licence?
Once you have bought your Freepost licence from Royal Mail, you can then place your order with us to actually PRINT envelopes for you. You must have your licence first though.
Things to bear in mind
The address block, 1st & 2nd class indicia, plus the Licence number must ALWAYS BE PRINTED IN BLACK INK.
We can add your Company Logo for FREE which we will print in Full Colour.
Benefits of using us to help you with printing Freepost
• TradePrintingUK can create professional Freepost artwork for you from our Freepost templates.
• Supply your licence number and address details to us and we will do the rest.
• Once created, we can forward the professional artwork to Royal Mail for Copy Approval.
• This helps to speed up the entire process and will take the burden off yourselves.
What's the DIFFERENCE between Freepost STANDARD and Freepost PLUS envelopes?
Freepost Plus is the most popular variant as it rewards you with an extra postage discount.
Currently this 'Plus' discount is 26p OFF per 2nd Class item, compared to 'Standard' envelopes.
'Plus' envelopes can only weigh up to 100g weight though. They must also be pre-printed with the special 'Plus' artwork and indicia barcode.
Freepost Standard is the least popular of the two types. It allows for larger C4 envelopes (unlike Freepost Plus which doesn't).
C4 'Large Letter' size envelopes are hand-sorted and excluded from 'Plus' licence. You must have a 'Standard' response licence to use C4 'Large Letter' size.
Do Freepost Envelopes need a stamp?
NO, you don't need a stamp for a Freepost Envelope in the UK because the postage is pre-paid by the recipient.
Monthly postage charges are invoices based on the actual amount of returned customer post to the recipient, which is usually a business or organisation if they have one of these Royal Mail Freepost ("Response") licenses.
The address is also pre-printed onto the envelope face, plus whether it is 1st or 2nd Class postage. So a person can write back FOR FREE without paying any postage cost.
If you're a charity it's best NOT to ask your patrons donating to you to stick a stamp over the indicia as it will cost your charity extra money by a fine from the Royal Mail. So in the end it'll cost you money.
Why choose a FREEPOST envelope over a BUSINESS REPLY Envelope?
Good question! The straight answer is, there is NO difference! NONE whatsover. THEY DO THE SAME THING! Seriously. It's all down to personal choice.
Freepost is seen as LESS formal yet exhibits same features as Busn Reply. It also has a choice of 1st or 2nd class indicia, delivered at the same time, and more consumer-focused.
Business Reply has a MORE formal and professional look. But there is NO difference in the actual service or what it actually does.
It is about public perception. We wish they'd standardise everything into one product, but there you go.
How to CONTACT the Royal Mail Freepost licensing team
To CONTACT the Royal Mail “Freepost” licensing team phone: 03457 950950
Then hold TWICE, then Press '4', then Press '2' — this will get you speaking to an actual person!
Lines are open 8am to 5pm — Monday to Friday. Alternatively, E-mail the Royal Mail response services licensing team
Already got a licence? You'll need the modern "Response Services Barcode" added to your existing artwork.
Back in April 2014, the Royal Mail introduced an additional font-based barcode to the licence plate area in the top left of envelopes, which must be added to your additional artwork (if you've got Freepost envelopes before). You can supply it by entering the 12-digit licence numbering into their Response Services Artwork Generator and pick the "Response Services Barcode" only, remembering that DL and C5 are classed as "Letter" size, and C5 is classed as "Large Letter" size. Then choose either "EPS vector' or "PDF" format from the final radio button choice.
What type of flap can I use with Free Post? Self-Seal or Peel & Seal?
From an over-printing perspective, we normally produce your Freepost envelopes via our now standard, premium 120gsm peel & seal product ranges (the highest quality in the UK print industry for this sector!) for quantities ranging from 50 - 10000; over this and you have the option to use our 100gsm Self-Seal envelope product on either the 'Freepost Standard' or 'Freepost Plus' licence formats.
We have two popular types of glued flaps on our Freepost Envelopes:
120gsm Peel & Seal
Our standard, Superior envelope product using premium 120gsm white bond paper, features a strong, single-use, pressure-sensitive gum behind a waxy paper strip that you remove to expose the glue before sealing the flap down securely.
They aren't compatible with automatic insertion [Fulfilment] machines — which require 90gsm Gummed Machinable with a special gummed flap shape — but are fantastic for long-term storage and portraying a high-end luxury image for your company.
An easy way for your customer to send back correspondence as a Freepost envelope, without resorting to licking the envelope (yuck! Nobody needs to lick an envelope any more) to seal it.
These are presented in "Superior" branded, high-end, red & black storage boxes, oozing quality.
✓SHELF LIFE: up to 5 years
✓WALLET Long-Edge Flap
✓BOXED: in 500's (C4 in 250's)
100gsm Self-Seal (aka "Touch & Seal")
Our alternative premium envelope on 100gsm white bond paper, these use a pressure-sensitive gum applied to both flaps that you then seal down together to form the bond with each strip of gum.
These have the bonus of a security pattern, generically printed inside the envelope.
✓SHELF LIFE: up to 6 months (as glue will dry out)
✓WALLET Long-Edge Flap as standard on all sizes, C6, DL, C5, and C4
✓SECURITY PATTERN INSIDE
✓BOXED: in 500's (C4 in 250's)
Freepost Envelope FAQ
How long does Freepost take to be delivered in the UK, with both 1st Class and 2nd Class variants?
Freepost envelopes in the UK are treated the same way and with the same delivery time by Royal Mail as any other 1st Class or 2nd Class post.
1st Classshould be delivered to you in 1-2 daysand 2nd Class will be delivered to you in 3-4 days within the UK and Northern Ireland.
How long does 1st Class Post Take in the UK?
First Class Post with the Royal Mail should be delivered to you in 1-2 days within the UK and Northern Ireland.
Off-shore islands including the Scottish Highlands can take an extra one to two days.
How long does 2nd Class Post Take in the UK?
Second Class Post with the Royal Mail should be delivered to you in 3-4 days within the UK and Northern Ireland.
Off-shore islands including the Scottish Highlands can take an extra two days.
Royal Mail state it's 2 to 3 working days, however from mid-2025, it seems with reduced delivery days in the UK, that is an aspiration and no longer the case in the real world. Sorry Royal Mail. Do better!