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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.