Czech Post announces slower delivery, increased prices from July

Snail mail in the Czech Republic is about to get a little slower. Following mass layoffs, branch closures, and price increases, Czech Post has announced another measure that will win them no fans this weekend.

As of this July, Czech Post will deliver standard letters more slowly, the company announced through their website on Friday afternoon. In addition, Czech Post had also recently revealed another increase in the cost of sending letters to take effect from next month.

From July, Czech Post will deliver standard letters within the Czech Republic three days after they are submitted. The new timescale represents a significant increase from the current delivery timeline of two days after submission. 

Until 2020, Czech Post delivered all letters the day after they were submitted. In February 2020, it offered two timescales, delivering priority letters the next day and standard letters two days after they were submitted.

From July, the two days after submission timescale for delivering standard letters will be extended to three days. Priority letters will still be sent out the day after they are received by Czech Post.

Czech Post stated that the reason for the change is a continuous decline in interest in sending mail and the related optimization of the postal network. Additionally, the company stated that only seven percent of its customers took advantage of faster delivery times since 2020, and the vast majority preferred sending slower mail for a lower cost.

In addition to the slower delivery times, as of July 1 the cost of mailing a letter will be raised to CZK 27 for a standard letter and CZK 34 for a standard letter, up from the current prices of CZK 24 and CZK 30, respectively.

It's the third price hike in the past eight months from Czech Post, after similar increases last November and this February. A year ago, the price of sending a standard letter was CZK 19, and a priority letter CZK 26.

While an estimated 40 percent fewer people are using Czech Post services compared to 2019, the company still delivers around 1.8 million pieces of mail in the Czech Republic every day.