With more people shopping online instead of in stores during the COVID-19 era, the load on shipping companies has been heavier than usual.
To meet the demand, Fortune reports that FedEx has hired 70,000 new workers, and UPS has opened 20 new shipping warehouses and added 139,000 seasonal and permanent staff.
Shippers “have done a remarkable job, quite honestly, of preparing for this peak season,” Bill Brooks, vice president for transportation at business consulting firm Capgemini, told Fortune. “The volumes are unprecedented. Even with all that, they’re able to handle it.”
Whether you’re wrapping up presents or starting some last-minute shopping, here are some major shipping deadlines to be aware of as Christmas Day draws closer.
Note: The deadline to get your package to its U.S. destination by Christmas is Dec. 15 for ground shipments via the U.S. Postal Service, FedEx and UPS, according to USA Today.
Here’s a rundown of specific dates under each service.
U.S. Postal Service
- Dec. 15: USPS Retail Ground Service
- Dec. 18: First-Class Mail Service
- Dec. 19: Priority Mail Service
- Dec. 23: Priority Mail Express Service
FedEx
For shipping within the U.S. (according to consumerreports.org):
- Dec. 15: Last day to ship via FedEx Ground and FedEx Home Delivery.
- Dec. 21: Last day to ship via FedEx Express Saver.
- Dec. 22: Last day to ship via FedEx 2Day and FedEx 2Day A.M.
- Dec. 23: Last day to ship via FedEx Standard Overnight, FedEx Priority Overnight and FedEx First Overnight.
- Dec. 25: Last day to ship via FedEx SameDay City Direct, FedEx SameDay City Priority, and FedEx SameDay.
UPS
For shipping within the U.S. (via consumerreports.org):
- Dec. 15: Last day to ship UPS Ground for delivery Dec. 24.
- Dec. 21: Last day to ship UPS 3 Day Select for delivery Dec. 24.
- Dec. 22: Last day to ship UPS 2nd Day Air packages for delivery Dec. 24.
- Dec. 23: Last day to ship UPS Next Day Air for delivery Dec. 24.
UPS is closed on Christmas Day, although UPS Express Critical is available, according to ups.com.
Some packages and services may take additional time. To help determine how long it could take for your package to arrive, check the UPS online shipping time and cost calculator.
Amazon
- Although Amazon hasn’t listed its holiday shipping calendar, gifts will typically send faster if you have an Amazon Prime subscription, according to The Verge.
- If you have a Prime subscription with an order of at least $35 and live in an eligible ZIP code, you can get same-day delivery on certain items, according to The Verge. However, the same-day delivery service will not be available on Christmas Day.
- For Amazon Prime members, most other items are available for two-day delivery, The Verge reported.