Holiday Shipping Guidelines: 4 Tips to Make Sure Your Gifts Arrive on Time
You'll likely be doing most, if not all, of your shopping online this year for the holidays. This means it's more important than ever to know your shipping deadlines so all of those goodies can reach their final destinations on time to make it under the tree. Each year, the USPS, FedEx, UPS, and even Amazon compile handy ship-by guides to ensure delivery before Santa's out making his rounds. You can also save money and bypass holiday lines by participating in Free Shipping Day, which is on December 14, 2020. To help you make quick work of your holiday shopping and shipping to-do list, we've rounded up four useful tips to get those gifts wrapped and stuffed in stockings or set beneath the tree with plenty of time to spare.
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Mark Your Calendar for Free Shipping Day
What’s better than free shipping? Free shipping that’s promised to be on your doorstep in time for Christmas. This year's Free Shipping Day will take place on Monday, December 14, and will include more than 1,000 retailers. (Since you're gearing up for a large number of gifts on your doorstep this year, use these tips to help keep packages safe. We also have advice for what to do if a package gets stolen.)
Streamline Shipping
Avoid holiday lines at the post office and stay safe and healthy at home by using usps.com. Set up an account, then order Priority Mail Forever Prepaid Flat Rate boxes. Postage-paid boxes arrive in your mailbox, so you can pack your presents and send them without leaving the comfort of your home. The boxes have your return address, free tracking, and forever postage. Stock up on all your shipping and mailing supplies at home before the holiday rush so you can send out gifts with ease while you sip on hot cocoa and skip the post office craziness.
Know Mailing Deadlines
The USPS, FedEx, and UPS have all published their “Last Day to Ship” schedules for the 2020 holiday season, making it easy to know when to ship if you want your gifts to be under the tree by Christmas morning. For the USPS, the mail-by date for First-Class Mail—including cards—is December 18, while Priority Mail is December 19. The mail-by date for Priority Mail Express is December 23. If you want two-day shipping from FedEx or UPS, you should order your gifts no later than December 22.
Amazon has yet to post its shipping calendar for the 2020 holiday season, but we expect to see those dates soon.
Mail Online Orders Directly to Recipient
In a pinch? Save time and money by having an online order mailed directly to whomever you’re gifting it to, rather than ordering the gift, wrapping it, and paying to ship it again. Many online retailers offer complimentary or low-cost gift-wrapping during the check-out process.
