How much it costs to send business holiday cards
Postage for a business holiday card in a standard envelope, up to 1 ounce, is $0.82 as of November 2026, and a square envelope costs $0.49 more. For 100 cards, that is $82 in stamps before you count the cards and the hours it takes to sign and address them.
Holiday card postage in 2026
These are the Postal Service's First-Class Mail prices for stamped mail, effective October 4, 2026.
| What you mail | Price |
|---|---|
| A card in a standard envelope, up to 1 ounce | $0.82 |
| A card in an envelope, up to 2 ounces | $1.11 |
| A card in a square envelope, up to 1 ounce | $1.31 |
| A postcard, no envelope, up to 4-1/4 by 6 inches | $0.65 |
The square envelope price is the $0.82 letter price plus the $0.49 nonmachinable surcharge. Weigh one finished card in its envelope before you buy stamps for the whole mailing list, since a thick card or an insert can push it over 1 ounce.
Why square cards cost more to mail
The Postal Service treats a letter as nonmachinable when its length divided by its height is less than 1.3 or more than 2.5. A 5-1/2 inch square envelope works out to 1.0, so it pays the surcharge. A 7-1/4 by 5-1/4 inch envelope works out to about 1.38, so it doesn't.
Envelopes with clasps or strings, and cards that are too stiff to bend, also count as nonmachinable. Check the shape before you order cards for the whole list.
When a postcard stamp is enough
The $0.65 postcard price only covers rectangular cards mailed without an envelope that are no larger than 4-1/4 by 6 inches and no thicker than 0.016 inch. A larger holiday postcard doesn't qualify for the postcard price.
What 100 cards cost when you mail them yourself
| Cost | Standard envelope | Square envelope |
|---|---|---|
| Postage | $82 | $131 |
| Cards and envelopes | your price | your price |
| Time to sign and address (our estimate) | 2 to 8 hours | 2 to 8 hours |
The hours are our estimates of 1 minute a card to sign and 5 minutes to also write a note and the address. The table behind them is in our guide on how to sign business holiday cards. Multiply the hours by what an hour of your time is worth to get the full cost.
Want to skip the stamps and the signing? We print each card with "Dear" and your client's first name, your note and your name, and mail it First-Class for $2.99 a card, postage included (as of November 2026). For 100 cards that is $299, and you see a proof of every card before you pay.
Make your cardsQuestions
How much is postage for a Christmas card in 2026?
A card in a standard envelope that weighs 1 ounce or less costs $0.82 to mail First-Class, as of November 2026. A square envelope costs $0.49 more.
Do square Christmas cards need extra postage?
Yes. The Postal Service charges a $0.49 nonmachinable surcharge on letters whose length divided by height is less than 1.3, which includes square envelopes.
Can I use a postcard stamp on a holiday card?
Only on a rectangular card mailed without an envelope, no bigger than 4-1/4 by 6 inches and no thicker than 0.016 inch. The postcard price is $0.65 as of November 2026.
How much does a heavier card cost to mail?
A stamped letter that weighs up to 2 ounces costs $1.11 as of November 2026. Weigh one finished card with its envelope before you buy stamps for the whole list.
Sources
The pages we read for this guide.