Carriers are bulking up on staff and resources for the holidays and are expecting a significant increase in traffic over last year. As we near the holiday season, it’s time for the rest of us to ensure that we have the information and resources we need to meet demand. In that spirit, here’s our roundup of 2014 Holiday Cut-Off dates for the big three carriers in the US.
UPS
With UPS expecting an 11% increase in volume over the Christmas 2014 season, it’ll be more important than ever to make sure your packages are shipped early enough to get to your customers in time. UPS has published their ship by dates for 2014, here’s a summary for the most frequently used UPS services.
| Service | Ship By | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| UPS Ground | December 15th | US Domestic shipments only, excludes Puerto Rico, Alaska, and Hawaii |
| UPS 3 Day Select | December 18th | US Domestic shipments only |
| UPS 2nd Day Air | December 22nd | US Domestic shipments only, some limitations in Alaska and Hawaii |
| UPS Next Day Air | December 23rd | US Domestic shipments only, some limitations in Alaska and Hawaii |
| UPS Express Critical | December 24th | US Domestic shipments only, excludes Alaska and Hawaii |
FedEx
FedEx expects an increase of 8.8% in volume this Christmas. They’ve outlined all of the cut-off dates for their services on their website and we’ve summarized the most popular services here.
| Service | Ship By | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| FedEx Home Delivery & FedEx Ground | December 17th | US Domestic shipments only, excludes Puerto Rico |
| FedEx Express Saver | December 20th | US Domestic shipments only, excludes Puerto Rico |
| FedEx 2 Day | December 22nd | US Domestic shipments only, excludes Puerto Rico |
| FedEx Standard Overnight | December 23rd | US Domestic shipments only, excludes Puerto Rico |
| FedEx SameDay | December 25th | US Domestic shipments only, excludes Puerto Rico |
USPS
Of the big three carriers, USPS predicts the largest increase with an estimate of 14% higher volume this holiday season over last year. All the details are on USPS.com but we’ve summarized the most important information below.
| Service | Ship By | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Post | December 15th | US Domestic shipments only |
| First Class Mail & Priority Mail | December 20th | US Domestic shipments only |
| Priority Mail Express | December 23rd | US Domestic shipments only |
Conclusion
While we’ve summarized the most popular services from the most popular carriers above, it’s important that you make yourself familiar with the options and restrictions available from your carrier of choice and get in touch with your carrier representative or check their website for more information. If you have general questions about eCommerce shipping or ShipperHQ, feel free to reach out to us.
