Want to make sure your holiday cards and gifts arrive in time for Christmas? Save these dates, and keep in mind there may be extra surcharges for rush delivery during the holiday season.
Below are upcoming shipping deadlines from the U.S. Postal Service, FedEx and UPS:
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service said cards and packages need to be mailed no later than these dates for an expected delivery by Dec. 25:
Dec. 15: USPS Retail Ground Service, Hawaii to mainland Priority Mail and Hawaii to mainland First-Class Mail
Dec. 18: First-Class Mail (including greeting cards), First-Class packages (up to 15.99 ounces) and Alaska to mainland First-Class Mail
Dec. 19: Priority Mail, Alaska to mainland Priority Mail
Dec. 19: Alaska to mainland Priority Mail
Dec. 21: Alaska to mainland Priority Mail Express and Hawaii to mainland Priority Mail Express
Dec. 23: Priority Mail Express
The Postal Service recommends the following mailing and shipping deadlines for expected delivery by Dec. 25 to Air/Army Post Office/Fleet Post Office/Diplomatic Post Office:
Nov. 6: APO/FPO/DPO (all ZIP Codes) USPS Retail Ground service
Dec. 9: APO/FPO/DPO (ZIP Code 093 only) Priority Mail and First-Class Mail
Dec. 11: APO/FPO/DPO (all other ZIP Codes) Priority Mail and First-Class Mail services
Dec. 18: APO/FPO/DPO (except ZIP Code 093) USPS Priority Mail Express service
UPS
Recommended last days to ship for Dec. 24 deliver. For more information on UPS pricing and international schedules, click here.
Dec. 14: UPS Ground
Dec. 21: UPS 3-Day Select
Dec. 22: UPS 2nd Day Air
Dec. 23: UPS Next Day Air
FedEx
These services and dates are based on shipping from one U.S. location to another, excluding Puerto Rico. For more information and details on international shipments, click here.
Dec. 9: FedEx SmartPost
Dec. 15: FedEx Home Delivery and FedEx Ground
Dec. 21: FedEx Express Saver
Dec. 22: FedEx Two-Day and FedEx Two-Day A.M.
Dec 23: FedEx Standard Overnight, FedEx Priority Overnight and FedEx First Overnight and FedEx Extra Hours
Dec. 25: FedEx SameDay, FedEx SameDay City Direct and FedEx SameDay City Priority
For shipping to Puerto Rico
Dec. 22: FedEx International Economy
Dec. 23: FedEx International Priority and FedEx International First
Dec. 24: FedEx International Next Flight
Amazon
Amazon has yet to publish its 2020 Holiday Delivery Calendar, which in years past has noted suggested deadlines for qualifying orders to arrive by Christmas.
However, Prime Members can take advantage of Amazon’s free one- and two-day shipping in the U.S. and same-day delivery on qualifying orders in some cities. Last year, Amazon designated Dec. 22 as the deadline for free two-day deliver and Dec. 23 for free one-day delivery. The last day for free same-day delivery (in select cities, on qualifying orders over $35) was Dec. 24.
For non-prime members or orders that are not Prime eligible, the safest way to ensure your Amazon gifts arrive on time this year is to make sure the product is marked as "Arrives before Christmas" in the line just above the "Add to Cart" button.
But, with more consumers than ever expected to do their gift buying online this year there could be delays in shipping and shoppers should still get their orders in early or take advantage of some of Amazon's alternative deliver options that allow customers to retrieve their own packages from brick-and-mortar retail locations and neighborhood “hubs.”
