Ordering Online or Sending Gifts by Mail This Christmas? These Are the Shipping Deadlines You Need to Know
FedEx, UPS, USPS, and major retailers set their deadlines.
We’re not quite at the wire yet for holiday shopping, but Christmas is fast approaching. And if you’re not careful, you might find yourself in a dilemma when it comes to having that online order delivered in time.
Your best bet to have things arrive with time to spare is to pay close attention to the shipping deadlines of major online retailers and shipping companies. And, frustratingly, those vary from place to place. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of the dates you need to know.
One note, though: When it comes to shipping there are no real guarantees. Amazon’s next-day delivery often takes a bit longer at this time of year. And one unexpected Arctic blast can disrupt things across the country. While these dates are a good guideline, your odds of a successful shipment increase the earlier you send the package.
Shipping deadlines for Christmas 2019
FedEx
Dec. 9: SmartPost
Dec. 16: Ground and Home delivery
Dec. 19: Express Saver
Dec. 20: FedEx 2 Day
Dec. 23: FedEx Standard, Priority, and First Overnight
Dec. 25: FedEx SameDay, FedEx SameDay City Direct, and City Priority
See other deadlines at FedEx.com
UPS
Dec. 13: Select UPS Ground packages
Dec. 19: UPS 3 Day Select
Dec. 20: UPS 2nd Day Air
Dec. 23: UPS Next Day Air
See other deadlines at UPS.com
U.S. Postal Service
Dec. 14: USPS Retail Ground shipments
Dec. 18: Alaska to continental U.S. First-Class Mail
Dec. 19: Hawaii to continental U.S. Priority Mail and First-Class Mail
Dec. 20: First-Class Mail Service
Dec. 21: Priority Mail
Dec. 23: Priority Mail Express
See other deadlines at the USPS Website.
Amazon Prime
The retailer has announced shipping deadlines for Prime members, but has not yet addressed non-Prime customers. Typically, standard shipping for non-prime members is 4-5 days, meaning you’d want to order no later than Dec. 19.
Dec. 22: Last day for free delivery on tens of million of items.
Dec. 23: Last day for free one-day delivery on over 10 million items.
Barnes & Noble
Dec. 18: Standard shipping
Dec. 19: Free B&N member shipping; last day for non-member express shipping
Dec. 23: Expedited shipping
See other deadlines at the B&N Website
Belk
Dec. 12: Shipping to P.O. Box
Dec. 18: Ground shipping
Dec. 20 (1 p.m. ET): Second-Day Air
Dec. 23 (1 p.m. ET): Overnight
See other deadlines at the Belk website
L.L. Bean
Dec. 9: Shipping to P.O. Box
Dec. 22 (noon ET): Shipping to a street address
See other deadlines at the L.L. Bean website
Other retailer shipping deadlines
While not every retailer has listed its final deadlines for the 2019 holiday season, BlackFriday.com, which extensively tracks retailer actions during this time of year, has an extensive list of expected final days for free and expedited shipping. Here’s a sample of some of the best-known stores.
Apple
Dec. 20: Free/standard shipping
Dec. 23: Expedited shipping
AT&T
Dec. 17: Free/standard shipping
Dec. 20: Expedited shipping
Bed Bath & Beyond
Dec. 17: Free/standard shipping
Dec. 20: Expedited shipping
Bloomingdale’s
Dec. 16 (5 p.m. ET): Free/standard shipping
Dec. 20 (5 p.m. ET): Expedited shipping
Dillard’s
Dec. 20: Free/standard shipping
Dec. 21: Expedited shipping
Disney Store
Dec. 17: Free/standard shipping
Dec. 20 (10 a.m. PT): Expedited shipping
Gap
Dec. 13: Free/standard shipping
Dec. 23: Expedited shipping
Home Depot
Dec. 11: Free/standard shipping
Dec. 20: Expedited shipping
J.C. Penney
Dec. 17: Free/standard shipping
Dec. 20: Expedited shipping
Kohl’s
Dec. 16: Free/standard shipping
Dec. 19: Expedited shipping
Lowe’s
Dec. 16: Free/standard shipping
Dec. 20 (noon ET): Expedited shipping
Old Navy
Dec. 12: Free/standard shipping
Dec. 23 (3 p.m. ET): Expedited shipping
Sam’s Club
Dec. 11: Free/standard shipping
Dec. 20: Expedited shipping
Shutterfly
Dec. 10: Free/standard shipping
Dec. 20: Expedited shipping
Target
Dec. 20 (12 p.m. local time): Free/standard shipping
Dec. 21: Expedited shipping
Walmart
Dec. 20: Free/standard shipping
Dec. 23: Expedited shipping
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