Holiday shipping deadlines

If you want your gifts to get to friends and loved ones on time, you’d better get your shipping strategy together now.

The United States Postal Service alone expects to deliver more than 900 million packages and nearly 15 billion pieces of mail this holiday season.

USPS, FedEx and UPS all promise consumers that packages will get to their destination this holiday season. But when they get there depends on whether consumers meet shipping deadlines.

Here are the latest holiday schedules to ensure Christmas domestic delivery for USPS, FedEx and UPS. Of course, none of this is a guarantee because everything depends on the package’s origin and its destination.

USPS: Shipping service cutoff dates to ensure Christmas delivery

  • Retail Ground – Friday, Dec. 14
  • First Class Mail – Thursday, Dec. 20
  • Priority Mail – Thursday, Dec. 20
  • Priority Mail – Express Saturday, Dec. 22

FedEx: Shipping service cutoff dates to ensure Christmas delivery

  • SmartPost Services – Monday, Dec. 10
  • Ground – Friday, Dec. 14
  • Home Delivery – Monday, Dec. 17
  • Express Saver – Wednesday, Dec. 19
  • 2Day Services Thursday, Dec. 20
  • Overnight Services Friday, Dec. 21

UPS: Shipping service cutoff dates to ensure Christmas delivery

  • Ground – Friday, Dec. 14
  • 3 Day Select – Tuesday, Dec. 18
  • 2nd Day Air Services – Thursday, Dec. 20
  • Next Day Air Services – Saturday, Dec. 22

For detailed carrier-specific holiday shipping information and updates, please visit the USPS, FedExand UPS websites.