All the Shopping Deadlines to Guarantee Delivery by Christmas (Plus, What to Buy!)
If you’re behind on holiday shopping, join the club. Every year, in spite of my best intentions, I end up last-minute gift shopping for at least one person on my list. And on Christmas Eve, I usually find myself wrapping my last few gifts and sticking them under the tree just in time. Getting gifts to loved ones by Christmas will be a little trickier this year because of shipping delays, which is why we’ve put together a guide so you know exactly how long you can put off shopping without paying exorbitant shipping fees or having to explain why presents will be arriving a week late.
Below, we’ve compiled important shipping deadlines for both FedEx and USPS, as well as cutoff dates for some of your favorite retailers. We even included some gift suggestions to save you even more time. Be sure to read the fine print on each retailer’s site to make sure you’re getting the latest shipping details. Now get shopping!
- FedEx Home Delivery: Dec. 15
- FedEx Ground: Dec. 15
- FedEx Express Saver: Dec. 21
- FedEx 3Day Freight: Dec. 21
- FedEx 2Day: Dec. 22
- FedEx 2Day a.m.: Dec. 22
- FedEx 2Day Freight: Dec. 22
- FedEx 1Day Freight: Dec. 23
- FedEx Extra Hours: Dec. 23
- FedEx Standard Overnight: Dec. 23
- FedEx Priority Overnight: Dec. 23
- FedEx First Overnight: Dec. 23
- FedEx SameDay: Dec. 25
- FedEx SameDay City Priority: Dec. 25
- FedEx SameDay City Direct: Dec. 25
- UPS Ground: Dec. 15
- UPS 3 Day Select: Dec. 21
- UPS 2nd Day Air: Dec. 22
- UPS Next Day Air: Dec. 23
- UPS Express Critical: Dec. 25
- USPS Retail Ground Service: Dec. 15
- First-Class Mail Service: Dec. 18 (Dec. 15 for Hawaii)
- Priority Mail Service: Dec. 19 (Dec. 15 for Hawaii)
- Priority Mail Express Service: Dec. 23 (Dec. 21 for Alaska and Hawaii)