We've been sending fewer letters and cards to each other for years, but it's still fun to send a card for special occasions. Fortunately, you don't have to go all the way to the store to buy a sheet of stamps. You can easily frank your letter via the PostNL app.
It is good to know that with franking in the PostNL app, you do not necessarily need a printer. Certainly if you only want to frank a letter that you can put in the letterbox yourself, then you only need a pen to apply the stamp. If you frank via the app, you will receive a Postage Stamp Code. PostNL describes it best: it is the stamp that you simply write down.
The Stamp Code
Fortunately, that does not mean that you should immediately start practicing drawing the king, or beautiful windmills from the icon series. A Stamp Code consists of three lines with three characters each. Think of capital letters and numbers, which can be written in a kind of square on the top right corner of your envelope. Do this with a black or blue pen, otherwise the system may have trouble reading the code.
You can send a letter with a Stamp Code for a lower price than a stamp (namely 91 cents). This is possible up to 2 kilograms in the Netherlands and worldwide, whereby the price of the stamp naturally increases as the weight of your mail item increases. You can order and receive a Postage Stamp Code in less than a minute, because you will receive it directly in the app after payment. The good thing is that in the app you can choose to save the code used so you can be sure that you don't have any unused codes if you frequently send mail. Please note: the code is only valid for five days.
Generating a Stamp Code is done via the PostNL app (Android and iOS). How to frank a letter step-by-step with the PostNL app:
- Install the PostNL app for free on your phone to purchase your stamp.
- At the bottom of the screen, tap send and select letter.
- Tap on Buy stamp code and select how many mail items with which weight you want to send. Tap on pay.
- Check your order, agree to the Terms and Conditions and tap Choose bank.
- You can then pay for your order with iDEAL. You will then be automatically forwarded to the list of Postage Stamp Codes.
- Write the unique code on each postal item in the top right corner, throw the postal item in the letterbox and indicate in the app that you have used the code.
Thanks to Stamp Code you no longer have to keep stamps in your junk drawer in the kitchen and you quickly have very specific franking for your mail item. If you are unsure about the weight, you can use a kitchen scale to weigh your mail item, for example.
PostNL app
The app of the largest postal company in the Netherlands can also be used for sending parcels. This can be cheaper than if you have it franked at a PostNL point. You don't need a printer for this either, because you have the code scanned in the app at the PostNL point that is generated after your payment. The disadvantage is that - because it is a package - you still have to pass such a point.
It is also possible to frank a letter without using the app. This can also be done via the PostNL website. Click on the big button Order immediately and indicate whether you want to send a letter or a package. Here you will immediately see an overview of the costs to send the package or a letter. You can then indicate how you want to frank your letter: by means of the Postage Stamp Code or a shipping label. click on Save & go to payment overview to pay and frank your shipment.
