Santa Claus is going to be a busy, busy guy on Christmas. But delivery drivers have been almost as busy in recent weeks.
With Christmas on a Monday, and thus Christmas Eve on a Sunday, the deadline to get your packages shipped somewhere in time for Christmas could be sneaking up faster than you’d expect.
Whether you’re using the Post Office, FedEx or UPS, those deadlines are approaching fast depending on the type of shipping you want to use. Here are the deadlines you need to know about:
U.S. Postal Service
Packages being sent by First Class Mail should be sent out by Saturday, Dec. 16. The deadline for Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express is on Wednesday, Dec. 20. The last day of deliveries is Saturday, Dec. 23, though you can pay the extra holiday premium for Priority Mail Express delivery on Christmas Eve.
UPS
If you’re shipping something by UPS Ground Shipping, you probably want it sent out by this Friday, Dec. 15, though that date will vary a bit depending on how far it’s traveling. Higher tiers of Select and Air services have deadlines that kick in between next Tuesday, Dec. 19, and Thursday, Dec. 21. UPS will be picking up and delivering packages on Dec. 23, but there are no deliveries scheduled on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.
FedEx
FedEx ground shipping and FedEx Freight deadlines are this Friday, Dec. 15, if you hope to get that package under someone else’s tree by Christmas. Packages sent by FedEx Express have varying deadlines that kick in starting on Tuesday. The absolute last day to send something in time for Christmas is Friday, Dec. 22, as long as you’re willing to pay for same-day delivery. But any Saturday deliveries will cost you an extra $16 per package, so plan accordingly.
