Tell HN: Fastmail prices increasing by 20% for some users

I received the following email from Fastmail. This represents a more than 20% increase in my plan. It's also worth noting that they use GST (equivalent to VAT) collection as an excuse for the increase. They have been obligated to collect GST since at least 2019.

Hello — itʼs Bron, the Fastmail CEO.

I’m writing to share important information about recent changes to our subscription plans, which will affect your subscription. Your next renewal, on July 25, 2025, will now cost NZD 102.00 per year.

We have listened to user requests and will now bill you in NZD rather than US dollars — no more currency conversion fees, and a stable price.

In line with local laws, we are now obliged to charge GST. This is included in your new price noted above.

You were previously on a 12-month billing schedule. Our new billing system does not support this, so we have moved you to yearly billing. To switch to a 1 month, 2 year, or 3 year subscription, go to Settings → Billing & Plan.

Your next renewal will appear as Paddle.net* Fastmail on your financial statement, and the receipt will be delivered to a Masked Email address, which we will create just for your billing emails when you next enter your payment information.

This is the first update to our plans since 2017, and our operating costs have risen significantly in that time. Your subscription allows us to operate an email service without having to pay our bills through advertising to you, or selling your data. It also supports our contributions to open standards — where we’re at the forefront of keeping email open for the future — and funds the development of new features.

You can always check our blog for the latest —- here are a few highlights from the past 5 years:

• Masked Email to help you protect your identity. • Productivity tools like Undo Send, Snooze, and Scheduled Send. • Customization options like Dark Mode, Labels, Themes, and Custom Swipes. • Mute Conversations and our address picker for calendar invites. Thank you for choosing Fastmail. We are grateful to have you as our customer, and we hope to continue working with you for many years to come.

If you have any questions or concerns, please reply to this message and our support team will be happy to assist.

Headshot of Bron Gondwana Cheers, Bron Gondwana, CEO, Fastmail