Some holiday shipping deadlines have already passed, but there's still time to get that package to its destination if you hurry. As the busy year-end holiday season approaches, UPS, FedEx, and the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) are reminding us that it's best to ship sooner than later. Read on for the shipping deadlines for each carrier.
Will holiday shipping take longer than normal this year?
With tens of millions of packages being shipped each day during the holiday season, you need to prepare for delays or ship early enough to play it safe. To make things trickier this year, Christmas falls on a Monday, so the cut-off dates for delivery on or before Christmas may seem earlier than in recent years.
When should I mail holiday packages?
Here are the dates you need to circle on your calendar to get your package there on time via UPS, FedEx or USPS:
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UPS shipping deadlines
UPS said to follow these deadlines to get your packages to their destinations by December 23. The following is the carrier's domestic delivery schedule:
- UPS Ground Shipping — Check the website to get quotes, Saturday delivery options and other details
- UPS 3 Day Select — December 19
- UPS 2nd Day Air — December 20 (or December 21 with Saturday Delivery options)
- UPS Next Day Air — December 21 (or 22 with Saturday Delivery options)
FedEx shipping deadlines
FedEx said the last day to ship your packages to arrive on or before Sunday, December 24 are as follows:
- FedEx SameDay — December 22
- FedEx Overnight — December 21 (or December 22 with optional Saturday delivery)
- FedEx 2Day & 2Day AM — December 20 (or December 21 with optional Saturday delivery)
- FedEx Ground 5-Day Shipping — December 15
- FedEx Ground 4-Day Shipping — December 18
- FedEx Ground 3-Day Shipping — December 19
- FedEx Ground 2-Day Shipping — December 20
- FedEx Ground 1-Day Shipping — December 21
With optional Saturday deliveries, your last day to ship can be extended by a day but there is a $16 per package surcharge.
Fedex is closed on Christmas day but does provide Fedex Custom Critical services.
USPS shipping deadlines
The US Postal Service said that it will not have a peak, or demand, surcharge this holiday season, a major plus for consumers. It also introduced a new shipping option, USPS Ground Advantage, to ship packages with day-certain delivery of two to five business days, based on distance.
Post offices will be closed on Christmas Day and New Year's Day, but will be open on December 26 and January 2.
To get your packages to their destination by December 25, the Postal Service recommends the following deadlines for shipping within the Lower 48 states. For more destinations and information on international and other shipping services, visit the Postal Services Holiday Newsroom.
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