Let’s end another holiday season with timely shipping!
We want to ensure everyone has a jolly holiday season this year, so we have created a quick summary of holiday shipping cutoff dates for a few of the major carriers. We hope this guide helps you remain stress free this season and reminds you to keep on top of cutoff dates for all the carriers you plan to use this year.
UPS
The UPS year-end holiday schedule starts in November for Thanksgiving and ends in January. You can download the full schedule from their site to ensure easy access. And, if you are shipping internationally this holiday season, take a look at UPS’ World Holidays schedule which maps out 3 months of global holidays. There are plenty of holidays to be mindful of around the world between the months of October and December. Below you will find a summary for the most frequently used UPS services.
| Service | Ship By | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| UPS Ground | Contact UPS | Dependent on origin and destination |
| UPS 3 Day Select | December 18th | US Domestic shipments only |
| UPS 2nd Day Air | December 20th | US Domestic shipments only, some limitations in Alaska and Hawaii |
| UPS Next Day Air | December 22nd | US Domestic shipments only, some limitations in Alaska and Hawaii |
* Between Nov 20th and Dec 30th, a limited number of UPS Ground and UPS Standard packages that have transit times of three or more days and specific origins and destinations will require an additional day in transit. Contact UPS for more information.
FedEx
FedEx has published the last days to ship to ensure your orders are delivered by December 25th. Those needing to ship a last minute delivery will be happy to know, the FedEx SameDay delivery option will be available 24/7 for urgent deliveries (even on the 25th). FedEx also has you covered for your international shipments, you can find rates and transit time for global delivery here.
| Service | Ship By | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| FedEx Home Delivery & FedEx Ground | Contact FedEx | US Domestic shipments only, excludes Puerto Rico |
| FedEx First Overnight | December 23rd | US Domestic shipments only, excludes Puerto Rico |
| FedEx 2 Day | December 23rd | US Domestic shipments only, excludes Puerto Rico |
| FedEx Priority Overnight | December 23rd | US Domestic shipments only, excludes Puerto Rico |
| FedEx SameDay | December 25th | US Domestic shipments only, excludes Puerto Rico |
USPS
USPS has published holiday mail-by-dates for all their domestic and international services to help everyone avoid the holiday rush. If you have a loved one in the military, you will want to keep their Military Holiday Shipping Deadlines in reach as well. Below you will find a summary for frequently used USPS services.
| Service | Ship By | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| First Class Mail | December 19th | US Domestic shipments only |
| Priority Mail | December 20th | US Domestic shipments only |
| Priority Mail Express | December 22nd | US Domestic shipments only |
These summaries will serve as a great starting point as you plan for the holiday season, but should not be used as the only resource for your shipping management. These summaries only contain information for some of the major carriers, and you should keep up with restrictions and cutoff dates for every carrier you use. The carrier’s website will hold valuable information, but remember you can contact your carrier representative with more specific questions and concerns.
