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2024 holiday shipping deadlines: Dates to know for delivery by Christmas

The last day to mail a package before Christmas is as soon as tomorrow — here's your USPS, UPS and FedEx cheat sheet.

Katie Teague
Updated ·5-min read
Person unpacking a gift from a cardboard box on a rustic wooden table.
This holiday season, be the early bird, not the worm. (Getty Images)

I'll admit it: When it comes to buying holiday gifts, I'm the queen of procrastination. You'll usually find me at Target or T.J.Maxx around 7 p.m. the night before my family's annual Christmas party doing some last-minute shopping — oops. Fortunately, I never have to mail gifts using the U.S. Postal Service, UPS or FedEx because I live so close to my family, but if you do (and you're also notorious for racing against the clock) keep these dates in mind to make sure packages and holiday cards arrive on time.

Christmas is less than two weeks away, so it's time to start preparing ASAP. Don't worry: you still have a bit of time to ship those gifts and have them arrive by Dec. 24. So to prevent you from missing any of these deadlines — the first one is tomorrow, Dec. 13 — I've crafted a cheat sheet.

Here are the holiday shipping deadlines for USPS, UPS and FedEx. (I recommend making a note for yourself and sticking it to your fridge as a reminder.) Also, keep in mind that while these are the final days to mail packages and cards, inclement weather can impact whether your gifts make it on time, so I suggest shipping your Christmas gifts well before the deadline.

The carrier you choose will depend on what's available where you live and how quickly you need a package delivered. For instance, FedEx is the only option that offers same-day delivery, while some rural areas may only have access to a post office, with the nearest FedEx or UPS more than an hour away.

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If you're in a time crunch and have one nearby, you may want to stick with UPS or FedEx because they stay open later than USPS — branches generally close around 4:00 p.m. The other two options have longer hours, with some locations staying open until 7:00 p.m. or later.

As for pricing, it all depends on the urgency and what you're shipping. Let's say you need to ship a medium package from Kentucky to Wisconsin and have it delivered within three days. You'll be paying around $19 at USPS using one of their boxes, roughly $19 at UPS with your own packaging and around $25 at FedEx with your own packaging.

  • Ground Advantage: Dec. 18 (Dec. 16 for Alaska and Hawaii). Your package could arrive within two to five business days with this option.

  • First-Class Mail: Dec. 18 (same deadline for Alaska and Hawaii). Available for envelopes and postcards only, first-class mail means your card could be delivered in one to five business days.

  • Priority Mail: Dec. 19 (same deadline for Alaska and Hawaii). This flat-rate shipping option helps ensure your packages and cards arrive in one to three business days.

  • Priority Mail Express: Dec. 21 (Dec. 20 for Alaska and Hawaii). You'll want to use this option if you need your gifts to arrive in two business days max, and it comes with flat-rate prices.

  • Ground: Go to Calculate Time and Cost for an estimate, but expect between one and five business days, depending on how far your package needs to go. For instance, the UPS estimator says a small package leaving Kentucky for Wisconsin on Dec. 20 will take only two business days, arriving Dec. 24 by the end of the day. However, it would need to ship by Dec. 18 to arrive in time if you're shipping to California.

  • 3-Day Select: Dec. 19. You can expect your package to show up within three business days.

  • 2nd Day Air: Dec. 20. Your package should arrive within two days.

  • Next Day Air: Dec. 23. UPS says this is guaranteed to get your shipment delivered the day after you send it off, with your choice of morning, noon or evening delivery. This option comes with free shipping supplies.

  • Ground Economy: Dec. 13. Delivery can take between two to seven business days — the longest of all shipping options.

  • Ground: Dec. 17. Gifts should arrive within one to five business days.

  • Express Saver: Dec. 19. If you have a few days to spare, shipping by Express Saver can get your packages on doorsteps within three business days.

  • 2Day and 2Day A.M.: Dec. 20. By selecting either of these choices, your gifts should be delivered within two business days. If you need them to arrive in the morning, select the 2Day A.M. option.

  • First, Priority or Standard Overnight: Dec. 23. Depending on the option you select, your items will be delivered the next business day in the early morning (First), late morning (Priority) or afternoon (Standard).

  • SameDay: Dec. 24. You can schedule packages to be picked up and delivered to their destination all within the same day. Plan ahead for this one, since it does need to be scheduled in advance.

If you already know you're going to be shopping in the final hours but want to skip the mediocre gifts, check out some of the best subscription boxes we found instead. Or keep it simple with one of these gift cards or our favorite last-minute gifts.

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