How many stamps for a greeting card depends on weight and shape. One Forever stamp covers a rectangular card of 1 oz or less. That includes most birthday and Christmas cards.
Square, stiff or heavy cards cost more.
USPS prices a card as a letter. A letter pays by weight, shape and thickness.
So the same card can need one stamp, two or three. The rules below come from the current USPS Notice 123 price list and the Domestic Mail Manual.
How many stamps for a greeting card of standard size
A stamped First-Class Mail letter costs $0.82 for the first ounce. A Forever stamp is worth the current 1 oz letter price, so one stamp covers it.
A letter can weigh up to 3.5 oz. It can measure up to 11 1/2 by 6 1/8 inches and 1/4 inch thick.
Most single cards with a regular envelope weigh well under 1 oz. A plain 5 by 7 inch card with a lined envelope can reach the limit once you add a photo or a thick insert.
If you doubt it, weigh it on a kitchen scale before you stamp it. A postal or kitchen scale that reads in tenths of an ounce works best.
Postage by card type
| Card type | Postage (stamps) | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Standard rectangular card, 1 oz or less | $0.82 | One Forever stamp |
| Standard card, over 1 oz up to 2 oz | $1.11 | Adds one additional ounce, $0.29 |
| Standard card, over 2 oz up to 3 oz | $1.40 | Two additional ounces |
| Standard card, over 3 oz up to 3.5 oz | $1.69 | Heaviest a letter can be |
| Square card, 1 oz or less | $1.31 | $0.82 plus $0.49 nonmachinable surcharge |
| Square card, over 1 oz up to 2 oz | $1.60 | $1.11 plus $0.49 |
| Oversized card in a flat envelope, 1 oz | $1.69 | Large envelope price, $0.29 per added ounce |
| Card to Canada or any country, 1 oz | $1.75 | International letter price |
Metered postage is $0.78 for the first ounce, $0.04 lower, but most people buy stamps. For the full weight ladder see how many stamps you need for any letter.
When a card needs more than one stamp
It weighs over 1 oz
Every extra ounce adds $0.29. A card with a thick photo, a handful of confetti or a bulky envelope can tip over 1 oz.
Then the postage is $1.11. You can build that from a Forever stamp plus an additional ounce stamp, as the additional ounce stamp price page explains.
A single 2 ounce stamp covers the same total in one piece. The 2 ounce stamp guide shows the current value.
It is square or an odd shape
USPS machines sort letters by shape. A letter is nonmachinable when its length divided by its height is under 1.3 or over 2.5. A square card has a ratio near 1.0.
It fails that test and pays the $0.49 surcharge. A 6 by 6 inch card and a 5 1/2 by 5 1/2 inch card both fall into this group.
A very long, narrow card with a ratio over 2.5 pays the same surcharge. A standard 5 by 7 card has a ratio of 1.4, so it passes.
It is stiff
A letter must bend. USPS treats a letter as nonmachinable if it is too rigid to bend around a turn in the sorting belts. A card glued to cardboard can make the whole envelope stiff.
So can a wooden or metal keepsake. Rigid pieces pay $0.49 on top of the base postage.
It is bigger than a letter
A card or envelope over 11 1/2 inches long or 6 1/8 inches high is a large envelope, which USPS calls a flat. Flats cost $1.69 for the first ounce and $0.29 for each added ounce. A flat that is rigid or not rectangular is priced as a parcel instead, so keep oversized cards flexible and rectangular.
A card thicker than 1/4 inch also falls outside the letter limits. Read how many stamps a large envelope needs for the weight steps.
Worked examples
These examples show how many stamps for a greeting card of each common kind.
- Birthday card, 5 by 7 inches, 0.6 oz: one Forever stamp, $0.82.
- Square card, 6 by 6 inches, 0.9 oz: $0.82 plus $0.49, which is $1.31 in stamps.
- Christmas card with a family photo, 1.4 oz: $1.11, a Forever stamp plus one additional ounce.
- Card with a gift card taped inside, 1.2 oz: $1.11 by weight. If the gift card makes the envelope stiff, add the $0.49 surcharge for $1.60.
- Musical card with a battery, 3 oz: $1.40 by weight. The circuit and speaker often make it rigid or uneven, so $1.89 is the safe amount. Ask a clerk to confirm at the counter.
- Card to Canada, 0.8 oz: $1.75. At 2 oz the price is $2.35.
Take a stiff or lumpy card to a Post Office counter for a firm answer. A clerk weighs it and checks the thickness. You can add the extra stamps right there.
Greeting cards sent to another country
An international card follows the international letter price, not the domestic one. A 1 oz letter to any country costs $1.75, including Canada and Mexico.
Canada at 2 oz costs $2.35. The nonmachinable surcharge of $0.49 also applies to international letters, so a square card to Canada costs $2.24 at 1 oz.
A domestic Forever stamp is worth $0.82, so it does not cover the $1.75 international price on its own. USPS sells a Global Forever stamp for this job: under DMM 604, a stamp labeled Global Forever is always worth the current 1 oz international letter price, so one covers a 1 oz card to any country. The guide on stamps for an international letter lists the combinations.
How many stamps for a card you stack in one envelope
A birthday card often carries a note or photo inside. Count the whole package. Weigh the card, the insert and the envelope together, then match the total to the weight table above.
Holiday mailings add up fast. Four folded cards in one large envelope can pass 3.5 oz, which is above the letter limit. Then the piece is a flat at $1.69 for the first ounce.
Where to place the stamps
Put the stamps in the upper right corner of the envelope front, on the same side as the address. If you use more than one, line them up in a neat row.
Do not stack them on top of each other. The page on where to put a stamp on an envelope shows the spot.
Mistakes that cause a returned or postage due card
- Skipping the weigh in: a thick card with a photo often passes 1 oz without feeling heavy.
- Forgetting the square rule: a cute square envelope is the most common reason a card falls short.
- Using a domestic stamp abroad: one $0.82 stamp leaves a card to Canada $0.93 short.
- Adding bulky extras: buttons, bows and ribbon can push a card past 1/4 inch thick.
An underpaid card may come back to you or reach the recipient with postage due. Neither outcome is worth saving $0.29. Add the extra ounce stamp when a card is close to the limit.
Using a postcard instead
A greeting that is a true postcard goes for $0.65. It must be no larger than 6 by 4 1/4 inches and it needs no envelope. If you are unsure which price applies, the stamp calculator works it out from weight and size.
A folded card in an envelope is never a postcard, even when it is small. Only a single piece of card stock with no envelope qualifies for the $0.65 price.
Bottom line
A normal flat card up to 1 oz takes one Forever stamp. Heavy cards add $0.29 per ounce. Square or stiff cards add $0.49.
Oversized cards move to the $1.69 flat price, and a card going abroad costs $1.75 at 1 oz. Weigh and measure the card before you seal it, because weight and shape decide how many stamps for a greeting card you need.
