The holiday season is the busiest time of the year for the United States Post Service, UPS, FedEx, and other delivery services. With this in mind, planning ahead is the key to ensuring your packages arrive on time for the holidays, and BubbleFAST is here to help with all your shipping needs.
Understanding Holiday Shipping Deadlines
In the context of the holiday season, shipping deadlines refer to the recommended send-by dates for expected delivery before December 25th. Each shipping service determines their own shipping deadlines, so the shipping deadlines for UPS will be different from the shipping deadlines for USPS, for example. In calculating shipping deadlines, delivery services rely on a variety of factors, including the origin of the package, the package’s deadlines, and time spent at processing facilities. During the holiday season, when the volume of packages is at its peak for the year, it often takes longer to process and deliver parcels.
Shipping Deadlines for Common Delivery Services
UPS: UPS has several shipping options. For 3 Day Select, the shipping deadline is December 19, 2023. For 2 Day Air service, the deadline is December 20, 2023. For Next Day Air service, the deadline is December 21, 2023. If you select Ground Shipping, the shipping deadline will be determined by the package’s destination, the package’s origin, and weight. The UPS website has a tool that allows you to calculate an estimation of how long your package will take to be delivered. UPS also offers a budget-friendly option called Ground Saver, which is designed for small and lightweight packages that aren’t time-sensitive.
USPS: The USPS offers four shipping choices: Ground Advantage; First-Class Mail; Priority Mail; and Priority Mail Express. The shipping deadlines for the lower 48 states and Alaska are December 16, 2023 for Ground Advantage, December 16, 2023 for First-Class, December 18, 2023 for Priority Mail, and December 20, 2023 for Priority Mail Express. The shipping deadlines for Hawaii are December 16, 2023 for Ground Advantage, December 16, 2023 for First-Class, December 16, 2023 for Priority Mail, and December 20, 2023 for Priority Mail Express.
FedEx: FedEx offers ground shipping and express shipping. If using FedEx Ground, the holiday deadlines are December 15, 2023 for 5-day shipping, December 18, 2023 for 4-day shipping, December 19, 2023 for 3-day shipping, December 20, 2023 for 2-day shipping, and December 21, 2023 for 1-day shipping. For Ground Economy, the deadline is December 12, 2023. For FedEx Home Delivery, the holidays deadlines are December 15, 2023 for 5-day shipping, December 18, 2023 for 4-day shipping, December 20, 2023 for 3-day shipping, December 21, 2023 for 2-day shipping, and December 22, 2023 for 1-day shipping. For Ground Economy, the deadline is December 12, 2023. For FedEx Express, the holiday shipping deadlines are December 19, 2023 for Express Saver, December 20, 2023 for 2Day * & 2Day AM, December 21, 2023 for FO *, PO *, SO, and Extra Hours, and December 22, 2023 for SameDay delivery.
Special Shipping Circumstances
While the above information pertains to domestic shipping, there are also special shipping circumstances to consider, such as international shipping and shipping to military addresses.
These types of shipments take much longer to deliver because they are traveling longer distances and have to go through customs.
When shipping with the USPS, the deadlines for First-Class Package International Service is November 29, 2023 for Africa, South America, and Central America, December 6, 2023 for Asia and the Pacific Rim, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the Caribbean, Europe, Mexico, and the Middle East. The deadlines for Priority Mail International Service are November 29, 2023 for Africa, South America, and Central America, December 6, 2023 for Asia and the Pacific Rim, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the Caribbean, Europe, Mexico, and the Middle East. The deadlines for Priority Mail Express International Service are December 6, 2023 for Africa, South America, and Central America, December 13, 2023 for Asia and the Pacific Rim, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the Caribbean, Europe, Mexico, and the Middle East. The deadlines for Global Express Guaranteed service are December 15 for all international destinations.
Military mail shipped through USPS has its own separate deadlines. The deadlines for military mail this holiday season are December 9, 2023 for First Class Mail, December 9, 2023 for Priority Mail, and December 15, 2023 for Priority Mail Express. It’s important to note that Priority Mail Express is not available for APO/FPO/DPO AE ZIPs 093, however, the packages can still be shipped with the other shipping methods.
How BubbleFAST Can Help
From bubble cushioning to packing peanuts, BubbleFAST has all the high-quality shipping supplies you need this holiday season to ensure your packages are safely delivered. BubbleFAST is committed to providing exceptional customer service over the holidays and taking the stress out of the winter shipping rush.
Knowing holiday shipping deadlines is the best way to make sure all your gifts and packages arrive at their destinations on time. Services like USPS, UPS & FedEx have much greater volumes of packages to deliver during the holiday than they normally do, so planning ahead and purchasing supplies through BubbleFAST can help ensure that your packages don’t get left behind in the holiday shipping rush and that your packages safely arrive on time. Right now, we are offering a one-time use deal for 20% off your entire order. All you have to do is use the following code during checkout to receive your discount: 20off. Happy Shipping!
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