Whether you’re shipping packages for yourself or your business, you need to send them by certain dates for them to arrive in time for Christmas. The holiday shipping deadlines for 2022 vary based on where your packages are going and which carrier you are shipping them with. Here’s when you need to ship your packages for FedEx, UPS, and the US Postal Service to arrive on time.
Holiday shipping deadlines for 2022
The closer you ship your packages to these deadlines, the more risk you have of them not getting there in time. Holiday rush, weather delays, and other factors can impact deliveries, so plan ahead. Plus, the sooner you ship your packages, the cheaper it is because you won’t need to pay extra for rush charges or expedited shipping.
For 2022, Christmas is on Sunday, December 25th. These are the holiday shipping deadlines for 2022 for FedEx, UPS, and the US Postal Service.
FedEx holiday shipping deadlines by December 25th
FedEx recommends shipping by these dates within the U.S. for delivery by December 25th.
- FedEx Freight Economy, FedEx Ground Economy: December 8th
- All other FedEx Freight and FedEx Ground deliveries: December 14th
- FedEx Express Saver, FedEx 3Day Freight: December 20th
- FedEx 2Day Freight, 2Day and 2Day AM: December 21st
- FedEx 1Day Freight, FO, PO, SO, FedEx Extra Hours: December 22nd
- FedEx SameDay: December 23rd
UPS holiday shipping deadlines by December 24th
Because Christmas is on Sunday, you’ll need to get your packages to their destination by Saturday, December 24th, when using UPS.
- Ground: Deadlines vary based on distance, so check the UPS website
- 3-Day Select: December 19th
- 2nd Day Air: December 21st
- Next Day Air: December 22nd
Keep in mind that UPS suspended its service guarantee on most packages. Additionally, UPS Next Day Air Delivery commitment times have been extended from 10:30 a.m. to 12 noon.
US Postal Service holiday shipping deadlines by December 25th
The US Postal Service is here to deliver your packages through rain, sleet, and snow. However, you still must ship your packages by the deadlines below to ensure they arrive on time.
- Retail Ground: December 17th
- First-Class Mail: December 17th
- Priority Mail: December 19th
- Priority Mail Express: December 23rd
While the dates above apply to packages shipped within the continental United States if you want to send packages to Hawaii or Alaska, both have earlier cut-off times.
Alaska and Hawaii holiday shipping deadlines
- Ground: December 2nd (Alaska only)
- First-Class Mail: December 17th
- Priority Mail: December 17th
- Priority Mail Express: December 21st
How to pay for shipping costs
If you’re shipping numerous packages, it’s wise to use a rewards credit card to earn cash back, miles, or points on your charges. The best credit cards for shipping expenses have shipping as a bonus category. These are our current favorites when paying for FedEx, UPS, and US Postal Service shipping costs.
- American Express® Business Gold Card. Earn 4x points on the top two eligible categories each month (up to $150,000 in combined purchases each year), including airfare purchased directly from airlines and U.S. purchases of shipping, dining, gas, online advertising, and more.
- Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card. Get 3x points on the first $150,000 in combined spending each year on shipping, travel, online advertising, and internet, cable, and phone services.
- Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card. Earn unlimited 4x points on U.S. purchases for shipping.
- American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card. Receive 2% cash back on all purchases up to $50,000 per calendar year.
- The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express. Get 2x Membership Rewards points on every purchase for the first $50,000 you spend each year.
- Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card. Unlimited 1.5% cash back plus a 0% intro APR offer on purchases for new cardholders.
- Capital One Spark 2% Cash Plus. Earn unlimited 2% cash back with no preset spent limit.
Learn more about these cards and others to find the best credit cards for shipping and other business expenses.
The bottom line
Make sure that you understand the holiday shipping deadlines for 2022 for each carrier. Each shipping company has different deadlines that you must follow in order for your packages to arrive in time for Christmas. And, as you expect, the costs rise as you get closer to Christmas and have to use faster shipping options. Keep these deadlines in mind to save money and get your packages there in time.