Jump to deadlines for: United States | Canada | United Kingdom | Australia
Why Do I Need To Know Holiday Shipping Deadlines?
For online sellers, getting orders out on time is crucial for a successful holiday season. Last-minute shoppers will expect ways to make a purchase days before December 25 and still get it on time. If you want to guarantee delivery by Christmas, you need to know which carrier services to use.
At ShipStation, we want you to delight your customers during the holidays. It’s important to tell your customers the last days to order if they need it by Christmas. So, we’ve compiled all the 2018 holiday shipping deadlines for the major carriers in the US.
Here are your deadlines for USPS, UPS, and FedEx:
USPS Holiday Shipping Deadlines in the US
| Service | Shipping Cutoff Date |
| Retail Ground™ | Friday, December 14 |
| First Class Mail® | Thursday, December 20 |
| Priority Mail® | Thursday, December 20 |
| Priority Mail Express® | Saturday, December 22 |
View the 2018 Holiday Shipping Dates for International Mail.
FedEx Holiday Shipping Deadlines in the US
| Service | Shipping Cutoff Date |
| SmartPost® Services | Monday, December 10 |
| Ground® | Friday, December 14 |
| Home Delivery® | Monday, December 17 |
| Express Saver® | Wednesday, December 19 |
| 2Day® Services | Thursday, December 20 |
| Overnight® Services | Friday, December 21 |
View the last days to ship to Canada and Mexico.
UPS Holiday Shipping Deadlines in the US
| Service | Shipping Cutoff Date |
| Ground® | Friday, December 14 |
| 3 Day Select® | Tuesday, December 18 |
| 2nd Day Air® Services | Thursday, December 20 |
| Next Day Air® Services | Saturday, December 22 |
See the full 2018 year-end holiday schedule.
Amazon Holiday Shipping Deadlines in the US
| Service | Shipping Cutoff Date |
| Standard Shipping | Tuesday, December 18 |
| Prime FREE Two-Day Shipping | Saturday, December 22 |
| Prime FREE One-Day Shipping* | Sunday, December 23 |
| Prime FREE Same-Day Delivery* | Monday, December 24 |
| FREE 2-Hour Delivery with Prime Now* | Monday, December 24 |
*In select areas. See Amazon Prime for more info.
How Do I Use These Cutoff Dates For My Business?
Take these shipping cutoff dates and figure out the order-by dates for your customers. Consider the expected processing time you’ll need during this busy peak season. You might still be able to to pull off same-day turnaround, or you might need a few days before the deadline date. Use these dates as your building block for what you want to offer at checkout.
Download the 2018 Holiday Shipping Deadlines Infographic
With the shipping cutoff dates above, we also put together a handy timeline graphic that shows you what services are available.
Download Phone, Tablet, and Desktop Backgrounds
You won’t miss a shipping deadline with these screen backgrounds downloaded to your devices!
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- (Desktop) 2018 UPS Holiday Shipping Deadlines
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- (Desktop) 2018 USPS Holiday Shipping Deadlines
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- (Desktop) 2018 Holiday Shipping Deadlines
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- (Desktop) 2018 FedEx Holiday Shipping Deadlines
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- (Mobile) 2018 FedEx Holiday Shipping Deadlines
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- (Mobile) UPS Holiday Shipping Deadlines
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- (Mobile) 2018 USPS Holiday Shipping Deadlines
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- (Mobile) 2018 Holiday Shipping Deadlines
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- (Tablet) 2018 FedEx Holiday Shipping Deadlines
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- (Tablet) 2018 UPS Holiday Shipping Deadlines
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- (Tablet) 2018 USPS Holiday Shipping Deadlines
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- (Tablet) 2018 Holiday Shipping Deadlines
Here’s to a successful holiday season in ecommerce. We wish you happy holidays and the best of luck! #ShipTheSeason
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Do you have shipping deadlines for international packages? We want to offer USPS first class international for free to our Canadian, UK, and Austrailian customers this holiday season.
You can find some international ship by dates for USPS here: https://www.usps.com/holiday/holiday-shipping-dates.htm
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Nice info! Thanks for sharing this informative article. You clearly explained all the services holiday shipping deadlines. I have noted some points from content. Hopefully, it will work for me and even I would definitely suggest these to my friends too!
Thanks for posting informative blog
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Thank you. Wonder if the National Day of Mourning affects this chart in any way?
I don’t believe the USPS closures on December 5 will affect package deliveries by Christmas with any of the domestic services listed on the chart.
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