Royal Mail has announced that, from the end of next year, franking machine users with a standard, non-Mailmark franking machine will no longer be able to frank and send mail using their standard franking machine. Once standard franking machines have been decertified, Royal Mail will only accept franked mail from customers who use a Mailmark franking machine.
Does this change affect you?
This change only affects franking machine users who do not have a Mailmark franking machine. If you already have a Mailmark franking machine, you do not need to take any action. If you don’t have a Mailmark machine, you will need to take action.
Not sure if you have a Mailmark or standard franking machine? Take our simple check below:
Do you have a standard or a Mailmark franking machine?
Mailmark was introduced by Royal Mail in 2014. If you have a franking machine that you purchased or leased before 2014, the chances are that you will be affected by this announcement. Here are some examples of franking machines that are likely to be franking non-Mailmark franks.
To find out if you have a standard franking machine or a Mailmark franking machine, simply frank a piece of mail and have a look at the frank that has printed on the envelope.
Standard Franking machine
If your franking machine prints a frank that looks like this, you have a standard, non-Mailmark franking machine and the Royal Mail announcement does affect you. You will need to take action in order to continue to frank your mail. See below for information on your next step.
Mailmark Franking machine
If your franking machine prints a frank that looks like this, you have a Mailmark franking machine and the Royal Mail announcement does not affect you. Royal Mail will continue to accept your mail after the decertification deadline as normal.
What do I need to do next?
If you have a standard franking machine, you will need to upgrade your franking machine to a Mailmark one. Don’t worry, the process is straight-forward.
In most cases, it won’t cost you any more than you are currently paying.
To upgrade to Mailmark, simply contact us and we will be happy to help you.
I already have a contract for my franking machine – what can I do?
If you have already got a franking machine contract, that is no problem, Franking Sense can help. Through our sister company, Nationwide Capital Finance, we can settle off your existing contract simply and quickly and upgrade you to a Mailmark machine. In most cases, you won’t pay any more than you are currently paying for your machine.
If you still have questions, check out our frequently asked questions below:
Why is this happening?
Mailmark franks contain a 2D barcode and Royal Mail are migrating all of their mail processing to use barcode technology as it is the most efficient and accurate way of processing mail.
What does decertification of standard franking machines mean?
In a nutshell, decertification means that, from the end of next year, franking machine users who use a standard franking machine to frank their mail will no longer be allowed to send their mail through the Royal Mail system.
What options do I have if I have a standard franking machine?
All franking machine users who currently use a standard franking machine are being asked to upgrade to a Mailmark franking machine if they wish to continue to send franked mail.
Please contact Franking Sense and we will find the most appropriate franking machine solution for your upgrade.
What will happen if you try to use your standard franking machine after the desertification deadline?
From 1st November 2022, you will no longer be able to add credit to your standard franking machine. This means you will no longer be able to frank mail once your funds are spent. After the deadline, Royal Mail will only accept mail that has been produced by a Mailmark franking machine. Any franked mail that doesn’t contain a Mailmark barcode will be returned to the sender.
