CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – APRIL 21: Parked FedEx trucks sit on a hillside during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on April 21, 2020 in Charlotte, North Carolina. FedEx continues to serve its customers despite the coronavirus spreading through the country’s delivery workers. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
If you want your package to get to family and friends in time for Christmas, you'd better get moving. Most of the primary delivery companies have announced their deadlines! And if you haven't even chosen the gift yet, you're already too late. Most retailers say their hard cut-off date in which to order was December 11. (Ooops!)
Anyway, thanks to the Business Insider, see companies and their dates below to see when you need to absolutely get your package shipped.
2020 shipping service deadlines
Amazon:
Amazon says December 23rd will be the cutoff for one-day delivery and Dec. 24th will be the cutoff for same-day delivery.
FedEx:
Of the shipping services, FedEx offers seems to have the most options to get your package delivered, with options even available on Christmas Day. Deadlines listed below are exclusive to the US.
- December 9: FedEx SmartPost
- December 15: FedEx Home Delivery, FedEx Ground
- December 21: FedEx Express Saver, 3Day Freight
- December 22: FedEx 2Day, 2Day A.M., 2Day Freight
- December 23: FedEx 1Day Freight, Extra hours, Standard Overnight, Priority Overnight, First Overnight
- December 25: FedEx SameDay, SameDay City Priority, SameDay City Direct
UPS:
With the options listed below, you can ship as late as December 23 using UPS. UPS stores are closed on Christmas Day, but you can still look into UPS Express Critical service if you're in dire need.
- December 15: UPS Ground
- December 21: UPS 3 Day Select
- December 22: UPS 2nd Day Air
- December 23: UPS Next Day Air
US Postal Service:
With USPS, it's as easy as getting shipping supplies online or from your local post office, printing shipping labels, and dropping off your package or you can schedule a pickup. Post office locations may have various hours the closer we get to Christmas Day. You can check if your location is open here.
- December 15: USPS Retail Ground
- December 18: First-Class Mail
- December 19: Priority Mail
- December 23: Priority Mail Express
Retailer shipping deadlines
Apple:
Apple's delivery deadlines depend heavily on what's in stock. But there are some items, like the iPhone 12 mini and Apple Watch Series 6, you can order as late as December 22.
Target:
Like many other retailers this holiday season, Target says it doesn't have a broad cutoff date, but encourage guests to place same-day pickup and delivery orders up to two hours before their local Target store closes on Christmas Eve (Dec. 24).
Walmart:
For gifts from Walmart, you can order as late as December 24 to get your gifts in time. Walmart Plus members can utilize many of these shipping services for no additional cost.
- December 19: 2-day delivery (order by 2 p.m. local time)
- December 21: Next-day delivery (order by 2 p.m. local time)
- December 24: Delivery from store
- December 24: Express delivery (order by 1 p.m. local time)
- Order online, pick up in store: Yes (order by December 24 at 1 p.m. local time)
