Deadlines for on-time Christmas shipping start Dec. 15
By Rachel Bennett
(RNN) - The three major shipping carriers in the country suggest you get your packages on the truck by the week before Christmas if you want them to arrive on time.
And speed is important. Shipping carriers have said they expect to deliver record amounts of packages this year to coincide with an increase in holiday and online sales.
The U.S. Postal Service, UPS and FedEx are expecting a more than 10 percent increase in the number of items mailed over last year. The USPS alone said it expects to ship 15.5 billion letters and flat packages and another 600 million packages during the holiday season.
All three shipping services said to expect delays during the busy holiday season and to ship packages as soon as possible.
The last day for on-time shipping depends on how much you're willing to pay. For the cheapest delivery options, Dec. 15 is the cut-off day for both the U.S. Postal Service and FedEx for their standard services.
UPS does not have a suggested time for normal ground service and instead suggests people use their three-day shipping service, which costs a bit more but is estimated to arrive before Christmas if you ship by Dec. 19.
For faster delivery, and a steeper price, all three carriers offer two-day and next day shipping, but prepared to get those in the mail by Dec. 22 or 23, depending on the service.
If you have a very last-minute gift idea or wake up panicked on the big day itself that you forgot to ship your presents, only FedEx offers same-day shipping and delivery for Christmas Day.
Click link below for more information and graphics: