sending regular letter to Australia. can I use first class stamps?

[AussieMumInBromley]

I need to post two standard letters to Australia. Looking on the Royal Mail website, it seems it will cost £2.25 each, which is fine.

Am I allowed to use my first class domestic stamps to make up the £2.25 value (approx 4 stamps each), write air mail on the front and then put in the regular post box? Or do I have to attend a shop, stand in line for three hours and buy a special stamps?

They don't need customs declarations.

Thanks for any advice :)

I've never tried it but interested to know also.

However I'm pretty sure it's not that expensive to send a standard letter?

No, you can just put first class stamps on to the correct value!

It that's what I do and they've always got there...

My grandsons sent me a letter while i was in Australia recently. It had a £1.17 stamp on it. (March 2018).

i still have stamps left over from my Xmas cards to Oz - they are £1.40 each. So I think your quote of over £2 may be off the mark.
I also find the Royal Mail website really hard to get any straight answers from. They just want to sell us online postage - yuk! My Mum and my little grandkids all like to see the stamp!!!!

I use first or second class stamps to Australia.

Just checking then - I can send a standard size birthday card to my granddaughter in Australia using a couple of 1st class stamps and writing AIRMAIL on the envelope (I have no sticker) 😊

I sent 2 birthday cards last week and they were £2.25 each ..so that seems like the right price.I’d just use however many first class stamps and write ‘airmail’

Yes it's fine. When the price of stamps went up loads in one go a few years ago, I bought about £150 worth of 1st and second class stamps and still have a few left. If you know you will need to post stuff in the future and the price of stamps goes up it makes a bargain. A 1st class stamp is 1st class, no matter what you paid for it.