Between Cyber Monday and the winter holidays, mail services like the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), FedEx, and UPS are entering their busiest time of year. If you purchased holiday cards or have plans to ship gifts for Hanukkah, Christmas, or Kwanzaa, you’ll want to act sooner rather than later. Undoubtedly, all three major carriers will be swamped as the winter holidays get closer. So, to ensure that your parcels arrive on time, you’ll want to triple-check each company’s 2024 holiday shipping deadline calendar. Grab a pen and jot these dates down!
RELATED: USPS Is Making These Changes to Your Mail—Here's When.
USPS 2024 Holiday Shipping Deadlines
USPS is advising all customers mailing gifts cross country this year to get their parcels in by Dec. 18 at the absolute latest. But remember that the earlier you ship, the better your chance of beating Santa to the Christmas tree. The agency’s holiday shipping deadlines for the 48 contiguous U.S. states are as follows:
- USPS Ground Advantage service: Dec. 18
- First-Class Mail service: Dec. 18
- Priority Mail service: Dec. 19
- Priority Mail Express service: Dec. 21
Items marked with an Alaska or Hawaii address must be shipped even sooner. USPS Ground Advantage and Priority Mail Express service deadlines for these states are Dec. 16 and Dec. 20, respectively. First-Class Mail and Priority Mail remain the same.
Customers can find more information on the USPS’ website, including deadlines for sending packages to international and military addresses.
FedEx 2024 Holiday Shipping Deadlines
Shutterstock
At FedEx, customers who are mailing domestic parcels have seven shipping services to choose from. If you got your holiday shopping done early this year, you can take advantage of FedEx’s Ground Economy option. However, if you’re a procrastinator, you might find FedEx’s Priority Overnight or 2Day mailing service most useful. To ensure your items are scheduled to arrive by Dec. 24, the following deadlines must be met.
- SameDay: Dec. 24
- First Overnight, Priority Overnight, Standard Overnight: Dec. 23
- 2Day & 2Day AM: Dec. 20
- Express Saver: Dec. 19
- Ground: Dec. 17 (5-Day shipping), Dec. 18 (4-Day shipping), Dec. 19 (3-Day shipping), Dec. 20 (2-Day shipping), Dec. 23 (1-Day shipping)
- Home Delivery: Dec. 17 (5-Day shipping), Dec. 18 (4-Day shipping), Dec. 20 (2/3-Day shipping), Dec. 23 (1-Day shipping)
- Ground Economy: Dec. 13
Mailing to Canada, Mexico, or Puerto Rico? You can find additional details, including estimated shipping rates online.
RELATED: 6 Major Changes Postmaster General Louis DeJoy Has Made to the USPS.
UPS 2024 Holiday Shipping Deadlines
For those shipping parcels via UPS, your best bet is to hit the mail center by Dec. 19. If you have packages wrapped and ready to go early, you can use UPS’ Ground services, which are more affordable. Waiting a little longer to shop for gifts? Domestic packages with a Dec. 24 delivery date must be mailed by the following deadlines:
- Gound: Visit UPS website to calculate specific time and cost.
- 3-Day Select: Dec. 19
- 2nd Day Air: Dec. 20
- Next Day Air: Dec. 23
UPS has also issued a stark reminder that there will be no pickup or delivery services on Christmas Day. Additionally, while UPS mail carriers will make deliveries on Christmas Eve, customers won’t be able to fulfill pick-up services (aside from prearranged services).
