Britons shun Christmas cards after stamp price rise "It is easy to take instant communications for granted but many older people are reliant upon the postal system - particularly at Christmas - and value it highly," said Ms Altmann. In April, Royal Mail increased the price of a first class stamp from 46 pence to 60 pence while second class stamps rose from 36 pence to 50 pence. Ian Murray, the shadow postal affairs minister, said that the expected fall in card numbers is "significant" given that people over 50 are more likely to use traditional mail than younger age groups. It is an obvious consequence of Royal Mail increasing its prices disproportionately. They are walking a fine line between pricing people out of the market of and increasing their revenues," said Mr Murray. According to Saga's research, which was carried out by Populus, 51 per cent of people over the age of 50 will send fewer Christmas cards than last year because of the higher cost of stamps. While 20 per cent of people over 50 said they will send "far fewer" cards, a further 31 per cent said they will send "slightly fewer" cards. Three in five people over the age of 75 will send fewer cards. On average, all the people surveyed said they plan send 10 fewer cards each this year compared to last year, the research found. Given that there are 21 million people over the age of 50 in the UK, the total number of cards sent this Christmas could slump by 210 million. Royal Mail has sought to minimise the impact of the stamp price rise by allowing people who get Pension Credit, Employment and Support Allowance or Incapacity Benefit to buy 36 first or second class stamps at last year's prices. The group has sent leaflets to homes in the UK detailing the scheme. To use the scheme, people need to provide a letter from the Department for Work and Pensions - or the Social Security Agency in Northern Ireland - when they buy the stamps. However Saga's Ms Altmann said that millions of people who are not eligible for the discount will still be affected. Policy makers must not forget how dependent ordinary people are on the postal system. For many, their lives are enriched by both sending and receiving cards. Many people will be upset they cannot send as many cards as they have done in previous years. This is an essential means of communication and at this time of the year particularly, posting cards is a crucial part of spreading festive greetings," she said. Saga's research found that nine out of ten people have friends on their Christmas card lists who they only correspond with once a year with annual cards. This rises to 93 per cent of people aged between 70 and 74. A Royal Mail spokesman said that Saga's findings "run counter" to similar research that the postal group carried out. The spokesman said: "We have done some detailed consumer research that showed that people are still intending to send as many or more Christmas cards than last year." He said that the group asked people how they felt about Christmas cards compared to e-cards. While significant numbers of people said they find electronic communication convenient, they still prefer physical cards, he said. Royal Mail polled 1,000 people for its survey.