Royal Mail has permanently overhauled its Second Class letter delivery service, ending Saturday deliveries and switching to an alternate weekday schedule, following approval from industry regulator Ofcom. Leaflets are being distributed to UK households explaining the new system.
How the new schedule works
Second Class letters will now be delivered only on alternate weekdays (Monday to Friday). For example, one week a household might receive deliveries on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and the next week on Tuesday and Thursday. First Class letters remain unaffected, with six-day-a-week delivery (Monday to Saturday) and a next-day target. All parcels—First Class, Second Class, or Tracked—continue to be delivered up to seven days a week. The universal "one-price-goes-anywhere" rule remains, so stamp prices do not vary by destination within the UK.
Mixed reactions from users
The change has divided Royal Mail users. One Reddit user commented: "That is a CUT. NOT a small change." Another said: "I’d hate to see what a big change will look." A third added: "Great, we struggle to get our appointment letters out on time and now they make it harder!" However, some welcomed the move: "If it happens like this and we get deliveries every other weekday it will be a massive improvement from where we are now. I send many 2nd class letters and I know they can take up to 2 weeks to arrive. A few years ago the majority were received within 3 days."
Cost-saving rationale and regulatory targets
Ofcom permitted the change to help Royal Mail cut costs and modernise amid a long-term decline in letter volumes. UK households now receive an average of only four letters per week, down from 14 letters twenty years ago. The operational modifications are expected to save Royal Mail between £250 million and £425 million annually. To maintain accountability, Ofcom adjusted statutory reliability targets: Royal Mail must ensure 95% of Second Class mail arrives within three weekdays, and a strict backstop requires 99% to arrive within five days. Royal Mail still aims for delivery within three weekdays, though actual times may vary depending on alternate delivery days.
