Deadline Dates for Shipping Christmas Presents

So you need to ship some holiday presents. All mail carriers have deadline dates for shipping packages in time for a Christmas arrival. Click on the name of the shipper to view more details.

United States Postal Service

USPS Retail Ground Service - Saturday, December 17

First-Class Mail Service – Saturday, December 17

Priority Mail Service – Monday, December 19

Priority Mail Express Service – Friday, December 23

Shipping to Alaska has deadlines of December 2 (Retail Ground Service), December 17 (First Class & Priority) and December 21 (Priority Mail Express)

Shipping to Hawaii has deadlines of December 17 (First Class & Priority) and December 21 (Priority Mail Express)

United States Postal Service for Military Mail

First-Class Mail (Letters & Cards) – Friday, December 9

Priority Mail Express Military Service – Friday, December 16

International Mail

For Africa, Central and South America - Tuesday, November 29 for First Class Package & Priority Mail International Service. Tuesday, December 6 for Priority Mail Express International Service

For other international addresses - Tuesday, December 6 for First-Class Package and Priority Mail International Service. Tuesday, December 13 for Priority Mail Express International Service

UPS (United Parcel Service)

Ground – Click here to calculate time and cost.

3 Day Select – Tuesday, December 20

2nd Day Air – Wednesday, December 21

Next Day Air – Thursday, December 22

UPS is closed on Christmas Day and Monday, December 26 but UPS Express Critical is available

Fed-Ex

Ground Economy – Thursday, December 8

Ground & Home Delivery – Wednesday, December 14

Express Saver – Tuesday, December 20

2Day – Wednesday, December 21*

First Overnight, Priority Overnight, Standard Overnight – Thursday, December 22*

SameDay – Friday, December 23

*- For a $16 per package surcharge, you can opt for Saturday delivery which extends the deadline by one day.

For international shipping deadlines, click here.

Major retailers also have deadlines for purchases and shipping them in time for Christmas.

The best advice is to get your shopping done now if you are shipping. Please note due to volume, these dates may change. It’s good to click on the shipper’s name and view the latest on their site. If you want to save money on shipping, try the ground services. Remember Ground shipping dates are sooner than you might expect.

Related Topic: Don’t forget about the Christmas tradition of seeing the KCS Holiday Express pass through the Ark-La-Tex.