Cost of postage for a letter to rise in May

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The price of a one-ounce first-class stamp will rise from 41 cents to 42 cents in May, the U.S. Postal Service said on Monday.

Although the cost of mailing a typical letter is going up, American consumers will still be able to use 41-cent "Forever" stamps that were introduced in April 2007. Those stamps remain valid regardless of rate increases.

"The Postal Service developed the Forever Stamp for consumers to ease the transition during price changes," Postmaster General John Potter said in a statement. He encouraged Americans to buy Forever Stamps now at 41 cents, before the price goes up in May.

So far, the Postal Service has sold 5 billion Forever Stamps and it plans to have an additional 5 billion in stock before the next price change.

In addition to stamps, the price of several other mailing services will also go up on May 12.

It will cost 1 cent more to mail a first-class two-ounce letter, as the price increases from 58 cents to 59 cents. The cost of mailing a postcard will increase from 26 cents to 27 cents.

Certified mail will cost 5 cents more in May, rising from $2.65 to $2.70.

Under a 2006 law, the Postal Service will adjust the prices of mailing services each May.

The Postal Service said adjustments to prices for shipping services, including Express Mail and Priority Mail, will be announced in March.

(Reporting by Ayesha Rascoe, editing by Richard Chang)